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THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 

THE  STORY  OF  THE 
SALT  LAKE  THEATRI] 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 
i_     IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


Bv  HORACE  G.  WHITNEY 


PRICE    TWENTY-FIVE    GENTS 


THK  DESEREl   NEWS 
1  8  1  5 


http://www.archive.org/details/dramainutahstoryOOwhitnch 


^Aj,.f/—o^/n 


THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 


THE  STORY  OF 

THE  SALT  LAKE 

THEATRE 


ill 


By  HORACE  G.  WHITNEY 

Dramatic  Editor  of  The  Deseret  Neius 


THE  DESERET  NEWS 

1915 


PREFACE 

The  main  facts  in  this  compilation  were  prepared 
for  an  address  dehvered  before  the  Cleofan  Society  of 
Salt  Lake  City  on  January  27,  1915,  and  printed  in  the 
"Improvement  Era"  in  four  parts  the  same  year.  A 
number  of  friends  having  suggested  that  the  data  gath- 
ered, especially  the  names  of  those  who  took  part  in 
early  theatricals,  the  plays  and  the  various  dates  given 
were  of  sufficient  importance  to  justify  their  being 
preserved,  it  was  decided  to  group  the  four  parts  of  the 
address  and  to  issue  them  in  the  present  form.  If  a 
perusal  of  the  narration  affords  but  a  small  part  of 
the  pleasure  the  author  felt  in  preparing  it,  he  will  feel 
more  than  repaid. 

H.  G.  W. 


;  i  \n 


The  Story  of  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre 


Part  I 
Nauvoo  Days 


AM  ASKED  to  tell  you  the 
story  of  the  Salt  Lake  Thea- 
tre. To  perform  that  task  in- 
telligently, means  that  one 
must  hark  back  many  a  long 
year  prior  to  the  date  the  first 

^^  spadeful  of  earth  was  turned, 
or  the  first  stone  laid  for  the 
historic  structure.     He  must, 

,  in  fact  look  into  the  pages  of 
the   history  of   Nauvoo,   that 

THE  HISTORIC   SALT  LAKE  THEATRE  onCC-famoUS   city   On   the    Mis- 

^"'piS  ^o^tl^eiMfr'^STZT'         ^is'^iPPi'    built   by   the    ''Mor- 

mons,"  and  where  they  laid 
the  foundations  for  much  of  the  culture,  social  pleasure,  and 
entertainment,  which  years  afterwards  characterized  the  life 
of  the  Utah  pioneers.  In  Nauvoo,  in  the  early  forties, 
music,  both  vocal  and  instrumental,  flourished ;  there  were  several 
bands  and  choral  societies,  and  many  teachers  and  performers. 
Schools  were  founded,  and  advanced  classes  studied  Latin,  Greek, 
and  Hebrew,  and  there,  more  than  all,  the  drama  was  encouraged 
and  cultivated  to  a  degree  quite  remarkable  in  a  community  so  iso- 
lated, and  so  far  from  the  centers  of  wealth  and  population. 

Joseph'  Smith,  T.  A.  Lyne  and  H.  B.  Clawson 

Joseph  Smith,  the  prophet,  thought  so  highly  of  the  mission 
of  the  drama,  that  he  formed  a  dramatic  company  in  Nauvoo. 
and  among  those  who  took  part  in  some  of  the  plays  were  Brig- 
ham  Young,  Erastus  Snow  and  George  A.  Smith.  Thomas  A. 
Lyne,  then  a  prominent  tragedian  of  the  east,  came  from  Phil- 
adelphia to  play  with  the  Nauvoo  company.  He  became  so 
enamored  of  life  among  the  people  there,  that  he  joined  the 
''Mormon"  faith,  and  for  a  time  was  a  zealous  expounder  of  its 


920629 


THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 


tenets.  The  rock  on  which  he  foundered,  however,  was  the  call 
to  a  foreign  mission ;  when  that  call  came  he  faded  away,  to  re- 
appear among  the  people,  as  we  shall  see  later,  in  a  somewhat 
romantic  manner,  after  a  silence  of  nearly  twenty  years.  While 
he  lived  in  Nauvoo,  however,  he  was  vastly  popular,  and  the 
plays  he  produced,  mostly  tragedies,  with  himself  in  the  leading 
roles,  never  failed  to  draw  enthusiastic  audiences. 

One  day  Joseph  Smith  brought  to  him  a  young  man  named 
Hiram  Clawson.  ''Here's  a  boy,"  he  said,  ''who  is  clever  at  mim- 
icry. I  wish  you  would 
give  him  a  chance." 
Lyne  told  the  boy  he 
was  then  engaged  on 
"Pizzaro,"  and  the 
only  position  vacant 
was  that  of  the  stage 
hand  who  sat  in  the 
flies  and  threw  down 
the  fire  from  the  heav- 
ens at  the  proper  cue. 
Young  Clawson  eag- 
erly accepted  the  task, 
and  thus  began  the 
theatrical  career 
which  ripened  so  fully 
in  Salt  Lake,  years 
afterward.  Brigham 
Young  played  the  High  Priest  in  the  same  production,  and  the 
long  and  intimate  acquaintance  between  those  two  which  there 
had  its  beginning,  and  the  taste  for  theatricals  which  took  so  deep 
a  root  among  the  people  from  those  performances,  without  doubt 
were  the  first  causes,  the  germs  from  whence  sprang  the  wide- 
spread interest  in  the  drama  among  the  Utah  pioneers,  and  which 
culminated  in  the  building  of  the  Salt  Lake  theatre,  nearly  twenty 
years  later. 

The  Earliest  Plays  and  Players 

In  many  of  his  moves,  Brigham  Young  has  been  compared 
to  Napoleon.  He  was  never  more  Napoleonic  than  when,  in 
1846,  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri  River,  after  the  exodus  from 
Nauvoo,  he  laid  out  his  plans  for  the  great  westward  march  to  the 
Rockies,  or  perhaps  to  the  Californias.  Napoleon  paused  on  the  i 
banks  of  the  Vistula,  as  he  prepared  for  the  invasion  of  Russia,  ( 
to  receive  couriers  from  Paris,  telling  him  what  plays  and  operas 
were  being  produced,  and  to  forward  his  instructions  to  the  play- 
ers and  managers,  with  the  programs  they  should  present  during 
his  absence.    Even  so,  Brigham  Young,  with  far-seeing  eye,  made 


HIRAM  B.  CLAWSON  AND  JOHN  T.  CAINE 
First  Managers  of  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE 


out  his  programs  for  the  social  hfe,  employment,  and  entertain- 
ment of  his  people  before  he  knew  where  their  future  home  was 
to  be.  The  schools,  music,  the  press,  and  the  drama  were  alike  pro- 
vided for,  and  the  pioneers  were  no  sooner  located  than  those  fou-r 
great  civilizing  agencies,  whose  roots  had  been  carefully  taken  up 
from  the  soil  of  Nauvoo,  and  tenderly  nurtured  in  the  great  mi- 
gration across  the  plains,  were  transplanted  amid  the  more  con- 
genial soils  of  'The  Valley,"  where  they  blossomed  and  shed  their 
fragrance  on  "wide  neighborhoods  of  men." 

The  famous  Nauvoo  brass  band,  under  Captain  William  Pitt, 
ministering  angels  to  the  souls  of  the  pioneers,  was  never  allowed 
to  lapse ;  the  Nauvoo  choirs  be- 
came the  Tabernacle  choir;  the 
University  of  Deseret  began  its 
operations  as  soon  as  the  crops 
could  be  planted  and  shelter  pro- 
vided ;  the  first  issue  of  the  Des- 
eret News  was  printed  in  June, 
1850,  not  three  years  after  the 
first  body  of  pioneers  arrived, 
and  in  the  same  year  the  first  play 
ever  produced  in  the  intermoun- 
tain  region,  if  not  in  all  the  west, 
was  given  in  the"Bowery,"an  ed- 
ifice made  half  of  lumber,  half  of 
boughs,  located  on  the  Temple 
block,  and  in  which  the  religious 
assemblies  of  the  people  were 
also  held.  "Robert  Macaire"  was 
the  play  chosen,  and  naturally  we 
find  the  name  of  Hiram  B.  Claw- 
son  prominent  in  the  cast.  Who 
can  doubt  that  the  revival  of  the 

drama  amid  such  surroundings  was  largely  the  result  of  the  ex- 
periences of  Brigham  Young  and  Hiram  B.  Clawson,  in  Nauvoo, 
yeai-s  before?  Would  that  we  had  preserved  to  us,  some  of  the 
details  of  those  "Bowery"  performances,  the  rehearsals,  the  casts, 
the  means  by  which  plays,  costumes,  lights  and  the  thousand  and 
one  adjuncts  of  a  theatre,  were  procured. 

Two  years  later,  1852-3,  saw  the  opening  of  the  Social  Hall, 
then  the  marvel  of  the  time,  with  H.  B.  Clawson  again  in  the 
front,  now  reinforced  by  other  talented  players.  For  ten  years 
the  Social  Hall  was  the  center  of  the  social,  musical  and  theatrical 
life  of  the  pioneers.  Then  Brigham  Young  saw  that  the  commu- 
nity was  outgrowing  it,  and  as  it  began  to  be  monopolized,  more 
and  more,  as  a  place  of  dancing,  he  turned  his  thoughts  to  the 
erection  of  a  more  ambitious  and  permanent  temple  of  the  drama. 


THOMAS  A.  LYNE 

■First  Trainer  of  Our  Pioneer   Actors,  Nau- 
voo,  1842,  Utah,    1863 


THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 


The  Margetts-Bowring  Company. 

The  late  Phil  Margetts,  who  took  part  with  H.  B.  Clawson  in 
^'Robert  Macaire,"  and  all  the  later  plays  that  followed  in  the 
''Bowery"  and  the  Social  Hall,  was  always  fond  of  claiming  that 
he  was  largely  instrumental  in  causing  President  Young  to  reach 
his  decision  to  build  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre.  He  and  Henry  Bow- 
ring,  with  a  number  of  associates,  organized  the  Mechanics  Dra- 
matic Association,  an  offshoot  of  the  Social  Hall  company.  They 
gave  a  number  of  performances  in  *'Bowring's"  theatre,  located 
on  East  First  South,  in  the  Twelfth-Thirteenth  Ward.  Presi- 
dent Young  attended  the  performances  there,  and  was  so  well 
pleased  that  he  took  steps  to  bring  the  two  companies  together, 
and  he  then  promised  them  a  real  theatre,  worthy  of  their  talents. 

In.  the  Mechanics 
Company  were  in- 
cluded the  followinij;- : 
Phil  Margetts,  Henry 
McEwan,  J.A.Thomp- 
son, Joseph  Barker, 
John  B.  Kelley,  John 
Chambers,  Jos.  Bull, 
Pat  Lynch,  William 
Wright,  William  Poul- 
ter,  William  Price, 
Henry  E.  Bowring, 
Mrs.  Marian  Bowring, 
Mrs.  Bull,  Mrs.  Mc- 
Ewan, Elizabeth  Tul- 
lidge,  and  Ellen  Bow- 
ring.  The  perform- 
ance referred  to  by 
Phil  Margetts  occurred  in  the  winter  of  1860.  In  1861  the  exca- 
vation for  the  new  building  was  commenced  on  "the  Reynolds- 
Cahoon  corner,"  First  South  and  State  Streets. 

Theatre  Built  With  Speed 

President  Young,  as  usual,  allowed  no  grass  to  grow  under 
his  feet.  I  searched  the  files  of  the  Deseret  Nezvs,  for  1861,  and 
found  that  in  October  of  that  year,  it  was  stated  the  walls  of  the 
"new  theatre"  were  completed  on  the  afternoon  of  October  22. 
On  Christmas  day,  1861,  the  Nezvs  said  the  roof  was  on  the  build- 
ing, and  a  few  weeks  more  would  make  it  ready  for  use.  In  a 
speech  before  the  curtain,  on  Christmas  night,  1862,  the  stage 
manager,  John  T.  Caine,  said  that  the  work  on  the  building  had 
begun  in  July,  1861,  and  up  to  Christmas,  1862,  he  said  the  cost 
was  $100,000.    This  is  the  first  mention  I  ever  remember  to  hav<^ 


M 

HENRY  BOWRING  AND  PHIL  MARGETTS 
Twin  Comedians  of  the  Salt  Lake  Stage 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE  7 

seen  of  the  cost  of  the  original  structure.    He  said,  however,  it  was 
still  far  from  completion. 

I  have  often  heard  that  the  center  of  interest  with  Salt  Lake's 
population,  in  the  winter  of  1861,  alternated  between  two  points: 
( 1 )  the  wall  in  front  of  the  Deseret  News,  whereon  were  posted 
bulletins  of  the  great  Civil  War,  then  raging,  and  (2)  the  mam- 
moth structure  going  up  two  blocks  away,  the  long  awaited  "new- 
theatre,"  so-called  in  contradistinction  to  the  Social  Hall,  which 
was  generally  styled  the  "old"  theatre. 

The  Theatre's  First  Night 

We  can  but  faintly  imagine  the  gratification  that  must  have 
filled  the  breast  of  Brigham  Young,  as  he  sat  upon  the  stage  that 
first  night  of  the  great  playhouse,  and  gazed  upon  the  audience 
which  had  responded  to  his  invitation.  That  event  has  been  so 
often  narrated,  and  written  about,  and  was  so  recently  celebrated 
by  a  week  of  festivities  (in  March,  1912,  when  its  fiftieth  anni- 
versary was  observed),  that  I  shall  only  refer  to  it  briefly.  The 
house  held  then  about  what  it  does  now,  1200  to  1500,  and  the 
demand  for  accommodations  was  so  great  that  two  nights  were 
set  apart,  Thursday,  March  6,  and  Saturday,  March  8,  1862.  The 
dedication  occurred  the  first  night,  the  attendance  being  by  invita- 
tion, the  guests  being  Church  officials,  and  the  men  who  worked 
on  the  building,  and  their  families.  William  H.  Folsom,  the  arch- 
itect, also  had  a  place  of  honor. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  invitation  issued  by  President 
Brigham  Young,  for  the  opening  night : 

Mr and  familv  are  respectfully  invited  to 

be  present  at  the  dedication  of  the  New  Theatre,  on  Thursday  evening, 
March  6,  1862,  at  6  o'clock. 

"Brigham  Young, 
"P.  S. — Children   under  four  years   of  age  not  admitted.     As   the 
house  is  not  finished,  care  should  be  taken  to  come  warmly  clothed. 

"This  ticket  must  be  presented  at  the  door  of  the  Theatre. 
"Great  Salt  Lake  City, 
"Feb.  28,  1862." 

The  dedication  exercises  consisted  of  addresses  by  Presidents 
Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  and  Elder  John  Taylor.  The 
dedicatory  prayer,  a  long  and  eloquent  one,  was  given  by  Presi- 
dent Daniel  H.  Wells.  A  large  choir  and  orchestra,  under  Prof. 
C.  J.  Thomas,  furnished  several  selections,  one  of  them  an  anthem, 
the  words  by  Eliza  R.  Snow,  the  music  by  Prof.  C.  J.  Thomas, 
composed  for  the  occasion ;  W.  C.  Dunbar  ( another  name  famous 
in  our  amusement  annals)  sang  'The  Star-spangled  Banner;"  he 
and  Agnes  Lynch  sang  the  solo  parts  in  the  anthem.  A  song  by 
John  Taylor  and  C.  J.  Thomas  was  also  rendered  by  W.  C.  Dunbar 
during  the  evening. 


8  THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 

The  play,  "The  Pride  of  the  Market,"  followed,  after  which 
dancing  by  the  company  concluded  the  entertainment. 

The  second  night,  Saturday,  March  8,  saw  the  first  paid  per- 
formance. It  began  at  7  o'clock,  and  the  crowds  commenced  to  as- 
semble at  5.  Hundreds  were  turned  away  from  the  door,  and  all 
the  standing  room  was  occupied.  The  prices  charged  were,  par- 
quet and  first  circle,  75  cents ;  upper  galleries,  50  cents.  "The 
Pride  of  the  Market"  was  repeated^  followed  by  "State  Secrets," 
and  between  the  two,  W.  C.  Dunbar  sang  a  comic  song,  "Bob- 
bing Round."  H.  B.  Clawson  and  John  T.  Caine  were  joint  man- 
agers, and  their  connection  with  the  house  continued  many  years 
thereafter. 

Two  Disputed  Points  Settled 

It  may  be  interesting  if  we  settle  here  an  oft-dispr.ted  ques- 
tion, whether  or  not  there  was  any  dramatic  performance  on  the 
opening  night,  or  whether  the  entire  evening  was  occupied  by  the 
dedicatory  exercises.  The  memory  of  the  old  timers,  and  some 
printed  records,  are  greatly  at  variance  on  this  point,  but  it  may 
be  taken  as  certain  that  "The  Pride  of  the  Market"  formed  part 
of  the  exercises  on  the  opening  night,  Thursday,  March  6.  The 
late  Mrs.  M.  G.  Clawson,  says  she  remembered  it  very  well,  be- 
cause she  sat  shivering  in  the  wings,  in  a  character  costume, 
through  Squire  Wells'  very  extended  prayer.  She  is  corrobo- 
rated by  the  diary  of  the  late  George  Goddard,  who  wrote  as  fol- 
lows: 

"Thursday,  March  6,  1862,  at  6  p.  m.,  the  new  theatre  was  dedi- 
cated, after  which  a  new  play  was  performed;  Eliza  and  Mary  [his 
daughters]  took  part  as  French  peasant  girls." 

In  passing,  it  may  be  said  that  there  is  a  similar  confusion  re- 
garding the  play  which  opened  the  Social  Hall,  in  1853.  Some 
accounts  give  it  as  "The  Lady  of  Lyons,"  others  as  "Pizzaro." 
The  diary  of  the  late  James  Ferguson,  now  in  the  possesion  of  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  Ferguson  Keith,  says  that  "Don  Caesar 
de  Bazan"  was  the  bill. 

A  Roll  of  Honor 

That  rare  old  roll  of  honor,  made  up  of  the  names  of  those 
who  took  part  in  the  first  two  plays  at  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre,  is  as 
follows:  John  T.  Caine,  Henry  Maiben,  Jos.  Simmons,  R.  H. 
Parker,  David  McKenzie,  H.  B.  Clawson,  S.  D.  Sirrine,  R.  Mat- 
thews, Henry  Snell,  John  B.  Kelly,  Mrs.  Woodmansee,  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet G.  Clawson,  W.  C.  Dunbar,  H.  E.  Bowring,  W.  H.  Miles, 
Phil  Margetts,  Mrs.  Bowring,  and  Miss  Maggie  Thomas.  They 
are  well  worth  preserving  in  the  memories  of  everyone  interested 
in  the  history  of  pioneer  theatricals  in  the  state,  and  the  story  of 
the  Salt  Lake  Theatre.    The  Maggie  Thomas  of  those  days  is  now 


TIIR  STORY  OF  Till':  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE  9 

Mrs.  Margaret  Romney,  President  of  the  Relief  Societies  of  En- 
sign stake.  She  is  the  sole  survivor  of  that  list  of  players.  Her 
hrother,  C.  J.  Thomas,  led  the  orchestra  that  night.  He  also  sur- 
vives, but  is  in  quite  feeble  health.  When  the  fiftieth  anniversary^ 
of  the  opening  of  the  house  was  celebrated,  in  1912,  both  were 
present,  as  were  H.  B.  Clawson,  Phil  Margetts,  David  McKenzie, 
Geo.  M.  Ottinger,  the  first  scene  painter,  and  Charles  Millard,  the 
first  property  man.  Of  the  last  named  five,  only  Messrs.  Ottinger 
and  Millard  are  surviving. 

The  company  played  fifteen  times,  that  month  and  the  next, 
and  it  may  be  imagined  reaped  a  golden  harvest  at  Conference, 
April,  1862,  when  country  visitors  had  their  first  opportunity  to 
enter  the  new  building.  Operations  were  then  suspended.  The 
interior  work  was  again  taken  up,  and  on  Christmas  eve,  Decem- 
ber 24,  1862,  the  house  was  re-opened  for  another  big  social  func-- 
tion.  Church  officials  and  members  of  the  Legislature,  with  their 
families,  responding  to  the  invitation  of  President  Young.  No 
dramatic  entertainment  was  given  that  night.  The  Tabernacle 
choir  sang,  and  addresses  were  delivered  by  President  Young, 
John  Taylor,  Orson  Hyde,  Amasa  M,  Lyman,  and  George  A. 
Smith,  J.  D.  T.  McAllister  gave  a  song,  and  Mrs.  Clara  Stenhouse 
rendered  ''The  Cottage  by  the  Sea,"  the  remainder  of  the  evening 
being  passed  in  dancing. 

Next  night,  Christmas,  1862,  there  was  a  grand  dramatic  per- 
formance, at  which  'The  Honeymoon"  and  "Paddy  Miles'  Boy" 
were  rendered.  Between  the  acts  a  patriotic  poem  by  T.  A.  Lyne 
was  recited  by  John  R.  Clawson.  The  editor  of  the  Nezvs,  Judge 
Elias  Smith,  gave  the  performance  a  front  page  position,  and  as  a 
prelude  to  the  program,  with  remarkable  foresight,  he  said :  "As 
a  matter  of  local  history,  which  may  be  looked  for  by  the  genera- 
tion to  come,  as  well  as  of  interest  on  the  stage  of  life,  we  publish 
the  opening  bill  in  full."  Then  followed  the  complete  cast  and 
the  poem  referred  to. 

H.  B.  Clawson's  Surprise 

Manager  Clawson  delighted  in  nothing  so  much  as  spring- 
ing surprises.  One  of  these  was  the  announcement  that  T.  A. 
Lyne,  the^pioneer  actor  in  Nauvoo  days,  twenty  years  before,  was 
in  Denver,  and  would  soon  be  in  the  midst  of  the  Deseret  players. 
Encouraged  by  President  Young  and  Manager  Clawson,  Lyne 
came  by  stage  from  Denver,  and  very  hearty  was  the  greeting  be- 
tween him  and  the  boy  he  had  placed  in  the  flies,  to  throw  down 
the  fire  from  the  heavens  in  the  Nauvoo  performance.  Lyne  was 
at  once  engaged  to  coach  the  local  players,  but  he  was  not  long 
content  to  remain  in  that  capacity.  In  1863,  we  find  him  playing 
in  rapid  succession  such  dramas  as  "Damon  and  Pythias,"  "Riche- 
lieu." "Othello."  "Richard  TTT."  "William  Tell."  "A  New  Wai-  to 


10  THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 

Pay  Old  Debts,"  and  the  always  favorite  "Pizzaro."  He  could 
no  longer  call  on  Brigham  Young  for  the  high  priest,  in  the  latter 
play,  but  he  secured  another,  who  later  rose  to  a  high  Church  po- 
sition, George  Teasdale.  President  Young's  only  objection  to  the 
Lyne  plays  was  that  they  ran  too  greatly  to  the  tragic,  and  he 
used  to  say  that  the  people  had  known  tragedy  enough  in  their 
lives,  and  he  would  like  the  theatre  offerings  to  run  more  to  com- 
edies. Under  the  influence  of  Mr.  Lyne's  fine  renditions,  how- 
ever, he  gradually  relented,  and  finally  came  to  allow  his  own 
daughter,  Alice,  to  play  Virginia,  the  maid  who  was  killed  by  her 
own  father,  Virginius,  to  save  her  from  the  Roman  tyrant.  Alice 
Young  later  married  Manager  Clawson,  and  became  the  mother 
of  the  noted  artist,  J.  W.  Clawson. 

The  names  of  those  with  whom  Mr.  Lyne  worked,  with  some 
others  who  joined  the  company  later  (in  addition  to  the  first  night 
players  already  named)  were  as  follows:  James  Ferguson,  Ber- 
nard Snow,  John  S.  Lindsay,  John  C.  Graham,  J.  M.  Hardie,  Nel- 
lie Colebrook,  Mrs.  Gibson,  Henry  Maiben,  J.  A.  Thompson,  John 
R.  Clawson,  Horace  K.  Whitney,  R.  H.  Parker,  George  M.  Ottin- 
ger,  C.  R.  Savage,  Joseph  Bull,  D.  J.  Mcintosh,  Henry  McEwan, 
John  B.  Kelly,  Richard  Matthews,  J.  E.  Evans,  John  D.  T.  Mc- 
Allister, and  Sara  Alexander.  On  July  25,  1865,  Annie  Asenath 
Adams  made  her  first  appearance.  She  and  David  McKenzie 
played  the  leading  roles  for  years,  and  later  she  became  famed  as 
the  mother  of  Maude  Adams. 


Part  II 
A  Complete  Theatre 


It  is  doubtful  whether  in  all  the  annals  of  the  drama,  a  more 
unique  condition  could  be  found  than  that  which  existed  in  the 
''Mormon"  playhouse,  when  T.  A.  Lyne  arrived  in  Salt  Lake.  It 
was  eight  years  before  the  advent  of  the  railroad,  and  the  theatre 
had  been  built  entirely  of  timbers  from  the  mountains,  native 
stone,  and  adobes.  Yet  all  the  appointments  of  the  house  (ex- 
cept the  seats,  which  were  wooden  benches)  were  as  complete  as 
those  in  the  large  eastern  cities.  Artists  like  Ottinger  and  Mor- 
ris, provided  scenery  for  all  the  plays.  A  large  wardrobe  for 
ancient  and  modern  dramas  was  kept  on  hand  in  charge  of  Robert 
Neslen,  C.  Give,  Mrs.  Maiben  and  Mrs.  Bowring;  a  small  army 
of  supers  could  be  clothed  in  fashion  historically  correct  at  any 
time.  John  Squires,  wig  maker  and  barber,  saw  that  every  char- 
acter in  the  "dress"  plays,  was  provided  with  suitable  headgear 
before  he  or  she  stepped  upon  the  stage ;  a  captain  of  supers  was 
responsible  for  the  appearance  of  his  men  whether  they  were 
Indians,  courtiers,  slaves,  or  the  army  of  Richard  III.  Harry 
Horsley,  the  veteran  street  car  conductor  of  today,  won  his  first 
spurs  as  super  captain,  and  later  became  locally  famous  as  the 
waiter  who  bore  the  baby  Maude  Adams  across  the  stage  upon 
a  platter ;  the  fine  old  greenroom,  then  the  place  where  the  actors 
met  to  receive  their  parts  from  the  stately  stage  manager  and 
occasional  player,  John  T.  Caine  (now  the  dressing  room  of 
visiting  stars)  contained  a  huge  mirror,  where  each  character  sur- 
veyed himself  or  herself  just  prior  to  venturing  before  the  audi- 
ence, and  where  fellow  players  passed  judgment  upon  the  cos- 
tumes, and  "makeups ;"  Charlie  Millard,  most  ingenious  of  prop- 
erty men,  could  tumi  out  anything  from  a  throne  to  a  mouse  trap, 
and  mantifactured  all  the  fire  works,  lightnings  and  thunders 
that  any  demon  required,  while  William  Derr,  in  charge  of  the 
lighting,  though  limited  to  coal  oil  lamps,  produced  some  illumin- 
ations of  which  the  house  had  no  reason  to  feel  ashamed.  As  for 
music,  there  was  an  orchestra  of  twenty,  and  when  choral  effects 
were  desired,  as  in  "Macbeth,"  the  whole  strength  of  the  taber- 
nacle choir  could  be  called  on.  In  fact,  Mr.  Lyne,  fresh  from  a 
chain  of  eastern  theatres,  was  wont  to  say  that  nowhere  outside 
of  the  houses  of  the  great  populous  cities,  and  in  but  few  of  them, 
was  there  such  completeness  of  stage  appointments,  scenery  and 


12  THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 

accessories  as  were  found  in  Brigham  Young's  theatre,  in  the 
heart  of  the  Rockies,  in  1862. 

* 

.Lambourne  on  ''The  Playhouse  " 

Alfred  Lambourne,  the  poet-artist,  succeeded  Ottinger  as 
scene  painter  of  the  house.  In  his  poetic  work,  A  Playhouse, 
speaking  of  conditions  at  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre  in  those  early 
days,  Lambourne  says : 

'Tn  my  mind's  eye,  I  do  not  see  the  Playhouse,  as  it  now  is, 
overlooked  by  buildings  higher  than  itself,  but  as  the  structure 
was  when  its  bulk  entirely  dominated  all  that  was  around  it.  How 
calmly  imposing  it  used  to  appear,  how  grandly  massive  it  showed 
in  the  twilight,  or  when  the  moonlight  was  falling  on  its  white 
walls!  I,  for  one,  could  not  go  from  home  to  the  Playhouse, 
without  passing  through  and  inhaling  the  odor  of  the  Artemisia 
and  the  sunflower.  That  odor  is  mixed  up  in  my  mind  with  the 
first  seeing  of  many  a  great  play.  But  how  can  I  bring  back  to 
your  understanding  those  times?  How  suggest  the  indefinable 
something  that  then  existed — out  amid  the  semi-solitude,  the  iso- 
lation? How  am  I  to  recall  the  humorous  earnestness,  the  fine- 
ness or  roughness  of  fibre,  the  pathetic  side,  the  laughing  deter- 
mination of  religious  pioneer  life  as  associated  with  a  theatre? 
Yet  such  are  all  mixed  up  again,  with  my  memories  of  the  Play- 
house. 

"Swing  a  circle  around  the  Playhouse — I  mean  as  it  was  in 
those  early  days:  swing  a  circle  of  hundreds,  of  thousands  of 
miles,  and  how  unique  it  was !  Men  who  assisted  in  the  building 
of  that  theatre  acted  upon  its  stage.  That  was  the  strong  time 
of  the  legitimate  drama.  Even  the  people  in  the  isolated  west 
became  connoisseurs.  In  this  particular  Playhouse,  people  would 
go  to  performances,  not  to  see  a  new  play,  but  to  see  some  new 
actor  or  actress  in  the  old  parts.  Each  star,  man  or  woman,  as 
they  stepped  upon  the  boards,  was  tested  by  the  acting  of  those 
who  had  gone  before.  'Damon  and  Pythias,'  Tizzaro,'  'Vir- 
ginius,'  The  Duke's  Motto,'  'The  Man  with  the  Iron  Mask,' 
and  the  like  plays,  not  to  mention  those  of  the  Bard  of  Avon, 
were  those  in  which  the  newcomers  were  held  to  the  lines.  How 
many  times,  in  that  Playhouse,  did  I  not  see  Shakespeare's  mas- 
terpiece ?  How  many  actors  did  I  not  see  play  Hamlet  ?  Paunce- 
fort,  Lyne,  Adams,  Kean,  McCullough,  Davenport,  Miss  Evans, 
Chaplin,  Barrett,  Booth — that  is  not  half. 

"The  greater  number  of  actors  and  actresses  who  belonged 
to  the  regular  stock  company  of  the  Playhouse,  and  who  support- 
ed the  stars,  had  crossed  the  plains  and  mountains  in  ox  or  mule 
trains,  and  on "2,  I  believe,  in  a  hand-cart  company.     And  who 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE  13 

were  their  critics?  Men  and  women  who  had  done  the  same. 
There  was  a  pecuHar  sympathy  between  those  who  acted  upon 
the  stage,  and  those  who  comprised  their  audience.  Many  a  man 
who  watched  the  play  at  night,  had  done  the  roughest  of  pioneer 
work  during  the  day.  Perhaps  he  had  "grubbed  sage"  for  an 
order  for  a  theatre-ticket;  perhaps  he  had  toiled  in  the  fields, 
irrigated  an  orchard,  or  dug  on  a  water  ditch.  Perhaps  he  helped  at 
building  a  saw-mill,  or  at  blazing  a  trail  up  to  the  mountain  pines. 
It  may  be  that  he  had  brought  down  a  load  of  logs  and  stood 
thereafter,  for  many  hours  in  rain  or  shine,  in  the  wood-yard  op- 
posite the  Playhouse,  until  he  sold  that  load  of  fire-wood,  and 
the  pay  that  he  received  for  it  might  have  partly  been  used  for 
his  theatre  admission  fee.  There  was,  indeed,  a  strange  bond  ex- 
isting between  the  stage  and  the  auditorium.  All  were  friends ; 
they  would  meet  in  daily  labor,  they  would  dance  together,  they 
might  bear  'their  testimony'  in  the  same  meetinghouse,  or  listen 
to  the  same  sermon  on  the  coming  Sunday.  Every  actor  was  a 
'Brother ;'  every  actress  was  a  'Sister.'  Their  salaries  were  partly 
paid  in  that  which  had  been  received  by  the  Church  as  religious 
tithes.  The  man  who  guffawed  at  the  comedian  might  talk  with 
him  on  the  morrow,  whilst  he  chiseled  granite  on  the  Temple 
Square.  Another  who  watched  the  tragedian  might  visit  him  dur- 
ing the  coming  week  in  the  capacity  of  a  'Teacher.'  Those  who 
sympathized  with  the  hero  and  heroine  of  the  play,  might  soon 
meet  them  in  social  intercourse  of  a  'Surprise  Party,'  and  they 
might  tell  how  they  'Crossed  the  Plains'  in  the  same  'company.' 
All  were  one  big  family,  Thespians  and  audiences,  performers 
and  watchers.  And  more  than  this,  each  and  every  actor  was 
liable  to  be  'Called  on  a  Mission'  to  Europe  or  to  'the  States.' 
Again,  each  and  every  actor  was  liable  to  become  a  Church  official, 
and  each  and  every  one  of  the  actresses  to  become  a  worker  in 
the  'Relief  Society.'  On  the  morrow,  perhaps,  all  would  look  with 
the  same  emotions  on  the  great,  watchful  mountains,  and  take  a 
like  interest  in  the  planting  of  trees  and  vines,  or,  it  may  be,  the 
setting  out  of  a  flower  garden.  All  were  alike  interested  in  bring- 
ing about  that  miracle — when  the  desert  should  blossom  as  the 
rose. 

"Do  you  think  I  put  it  too  strongly,  my  friend?  Not  in  the 
least.  Certain  of  these  facts  justify  me  in  the  claim  that  this 
Playhouse  and  that  theatrical  organization  were  unmatched  by 
any  other  in  the  world." 

A  Notable  Decade 

Over  fifty  years  have  passed  since  those  days,  and  every  one 
of  the  five  decades  has  been  crowded  with  events  of  interest.  In- 
deed,  the  history  of  the   Salt  Lake  Theatre   during  those   five 


14 


THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 


periods  is  a  huge  part  of  the  history  of  the  drama  and  music,  and 
much  of  the  social  uplift  of  Utah  for  the  past  half  century.  Most 
of  you  here  present,  are  familiar  with  the  record  of  the  theatre 
for  the  past  twenty  or  twenty-five  years.  In  that  time  it  has  had 
visits  from  many  of  the  world's  notables,  who  have  left  some 
brilHant  pages  in  the  history  of  the  house,  but  to  my  mind  the 
most  interesting  period  since  the  doors  of  the  famous  structure 
were  opened,  was  the  first  decade,  between  the  '60s  and  early  70s. 

when  the  community  was  passing 
through  its  formative  period — 
when  the  crude  material  assembled  by 
the  pioneers  first  began  to  come  in  con- 
tact with  actors  and  actresses  from 
abroad,  and  when  the  foundations  were 
laid  for  the  dramatic  and  musical  cul- 
ture which  radiated  from  the  players 
in  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre,  and  formed 
the  basis  of  the  taste  and  appreciation 
so  widespread  throughout  the  state  to- 
day. As  the  fame  of  the  "Mormon" 
theatre  extended,  some  of  the  fore- 
most artists  of  America  turned  their 
steps  in  this  direction  and  tarried  for 
long  periods.  The  first,  as  already 
narrated,  was  T.  A.  Lyne,  who  came 
at  the  age  of  56,  remained  several 
years,  departed  on  several  starring 
tours,  but  came  back  from  time  to  time,  finally  settling  here,  and 
dying  at  an  advanced  age. 


SELDEN  IRWIN 

One  of  the  earliest  foreign  stars 
to  visit  Salt  Lake. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Irwin 


Next  came  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Selden  Irwin,  in  1863.  The  plays 
they  produced  were  generally  along  the  lines  of  comedy  and  ro- 
mance— a  relief  from  the  somewhat  ponderous  tragedies  presented 
by  Lyne.  In  his  speech  before  the  curtain,  Christmas,  1862,  John 
T.  Caine  impressed  upon  the  audience  that  the  players  were  not 
professionals,  simply  amateurs,  but  after  Irwin's  engagement,  it 
was  generally  voted  that  most  of  the  leading  players,  were  entitled 
to  a  place  in  professional  ranks.  The  advance  of  John  T.  Caine 
and  David  McKenzie  was  especially  noticeable.  The  Irwins  re- 
mained in  Salt  Lake  about  six  months,  closing  at  the  April  con- 
ference, in  1864,  and  returning  two  years  later.  The  friendship 
between  the  Clawsons  and  Irwins  was  so  pronounced  that  one  of 
IT.  ^^Clawson's  sons  was  named  Selden  Irwin,  after  the  actor,  and 
youjig  Mr.  tlawson,  |.Qj)erpetuate  the  old  bonds  of  friendship, 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE 


15 


named  his  eldest  son  Irwin.  Mrs.  Selden  I.  Clawson  is  one  of  the 
prominent  members  of  your  association. 

The  Scholarly  Pauncefort  ~   ~ 

In  the  middle  of  1864,  came  an  artist  who  probably  exerted 
the  strongest  influence  for  refinement  in  art  and  modern  methods 
of  any  other  artist  of  those  days — 
George  Pauncefort,  a  scholarly  and 
polished  actor,  who  had  acquired  con- 
siderable fame  on  the  London  stage. 
He  was  the  original  Armand  Duval, 
in  "Camille,"  when  Matilda  Heron 
first  produced  that  play  in  New  York. 
He  came  from  Denver  to  Salt  Lake 
by  stage,  accompanied  by  a  co-star, 
Mrs  Florence  Bell.  His  opening  bill 
July  20,  1864,  was  "The  Romance 
of  a  Poor  Young  Man,"  which  caused 
a  sensation.  Under  his  direction,  David 
McKenzie  made  a  strong  success  in 
the  part  of  the  old  doctor,  and  six- 
teen years  later,  when  the  Home  Dra- 
matic Club  was  casting  about  for  a 
play  in  which  to  make  its  bow  to  the 
pubhc,  Mr.  McKenzie  suggested  "The 
Romance  of  a  Poor  Young  Man,"  and 
he  coached  Bishop  Whitney  in  his  orig- 
inal role. 

Lyne  and  Pauncefort  played  a  num- 
ber of  memorable  performances  to- 
gether. It  was  during  Pauncefort's 
stay  that  "Hamlet"  and  "Macbeth" 
were  first  produced  at  the  Salt  Lake 
theatre,  stellar  attractions    which  our 

mothers  and  fathers  rewarded  with  some  tremendous  audiences. 
The  first  performance  of  "Hamlet"  was  justly  deemed  so  im- 
portant an  event,  that  the  News  featured  the  cast.  The  date  was 
August  10,  1864,  and  the  players  were  as  follows : 

Hamlet Mr.  Pauncefort 

King John  Lindsay 

Polonius    ■ David    McKenzie 

Laertes John  T.  Caine 

Horatio Joseph  Simmons 

Marcellus  . .' .  H.  K.  Whitney 

Francisco   E.  G.  Woolley 


GEORGE  PAUNCEFORT 

The  scholarly  actor,   who  exer 
cised    a    great    influence    on 
Salt  Lake's  pioneer  players 


16  THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 

First  Actor   Geor^^e  Teasdale 

Ophelia Mrs.  Florence  Bell 

Queen Mrs.  Gibson 

Player  Queen Sara  Alexander 

Margetts  and  Dunbar  appeared  in  their  inimitable  roles  of 
the  two  grave  diggers,  and  John  R.  Clawson  and  Henry  Maiben 
had  lesser  parts. 

The  old  green  room  of  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre  is  hoary  with 
legends  and  anecdotes  of  the  old  days.  -  One  of  them  which  has 
come  down  through  a  generation  of  stage  hands,  pertains  to 
George  Pauncefort.  In  the  production  of  "Macbeth"  given  under 
his  direction,  it  was  featured  by  bringing  in  one  hundred  voices 
from  the  Tabernacle  choir  to  do  proper  justice  to  the  Witches' 
Chorus.  A  weird  and  fantastic  group  they  made  in  their  dis- 
guises, and  the  fine  old  strains  of  Locke's  music  had  a  ringing 
rendition. 

The  leader  of  the  orchestra  had  been  rehearsing  his  chorus 
and  musicians  in  a  separate  hall,  and  the  night  before  the  produc- 
tion, they  all  came  together  for  a  dress  rehearsal  on  the  stage. 
The  leader  invited  Mr.  Pauncefort  to  sit  in  front  of  the  house,  while 
the  witches  scene  was  on,  asking  him  to  observe  the  effect,  giving 
special  attention  to  the  echoes,  a  quartet  of  witches  stationed  far 
off  in  the  flies,  who  echoed  the  strains  of  the  chorus  on  the  stage. 
The  leader  said  his  "echo  quartet"  had  just  arrived  from  Eng- 
land, and  were  said  to  have  fine  voices.  Mr.  Pauncefort  seated 
himself,  and  the  work  began.  The  great  chorus  sang  the  music 
and  came  to  the  strains : 

"To  the  Echo,  to  the  Echo." 

Back  from  the  flies  came  the  faint  but  distinct  call : 

"To  the  Hecho,  to  the  Hecho." 

"The  chorus  proceeded: 

"To  the  Echo  of  a  Hollow  Hill,"  and  the  faithful  echo  re- 
sponded: 

"To  the  Hecho  of  an  'Ollow  Til." 

History  does  not  record  the  denoument,  but  it  is  likely  that 
Mr.  Pauncefort  suggested  an  echo  quartet  selected  from  the 
American  section  of  the  weird  sisters. 

Pauncefort  settled  in  Japan  and  died  there  a  few  years  ago,  at 
an  advanced  age. 

Julia  Dean  Hayne 

Following  Pauncefort  came  the  most  brilliant  star  that  ever 
illuminated  the  western  theatrical  horizon,  Julia  Dean  Hayne,  who 
played  in  1865  and  1866.  She  was  an  actress  who  in  her  youth 
had  been  the  sweetheart  of  Joe  Jefferson,  and  in  his  famous 
Memoirs,  he  says  he  preferred  her  Juliet  to  that  of  Mary  An- 


TIU«:  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKI-:  THEATRli 


17 


derson.  She  came  with  a  traveling  company,  headed  by  George 
B.  Waldron,  another  eminent  actor,  who  died  years  ago,  but 
whose  son  has  lately  made  a  success  in  New  York  in  the  role  of 
Daddy  Longlegs,  recently  played  here  by  Henry  Miller.  Julia, 
Dean  Hayne  was  fairly  worshiped  in  Salt  Lake,  and  the  members 
of  the  Deseret  Dramatic  Association,  male  and  female,  looked 
upon  playing  with  her  as  a  privilege  and  a  liberal  education.  Her 
leading  parts  were  Camille,  Lady  Macbeth,  Leah  the  Forsaken, 
Parthenia  in  *'Ingomar,"  Julia  in  *The  Hunchback,"  Lucretia 
Borgia,  Medea,  Marco  in  'The  Marble  Heart,"  Lady  Teazle,  Peg 
Woffington,  and  Pauline  in  "The  Lady  of  Lyons."  E.  L.  Sloan, 
editor  of  the  Salt  Lake  Herald,  wrote  an  Indian  play  for  her, 


THREE  PICTURES  OF  JULIA  DEAN  IIAYNE 

On  tlie  left,   from  a  photograph  presented  by   her  to  the  late   Phil   Margetts;   center,   a 

youthful  picture  in  the  possession  of  William  Naylor;  right,  from  a 

picture  presented  by  Mrs.  Hayne  to  President  Brigham  Young. 


called  "Osceola,"  and  E.  W.  Tullidge,  the  historian,  wrote  a 
drama  entitled  "Eleanor  DeVere."  As  a  sort  of  diversion,  she 
produced  "Aladdin,  or  The  Wonderful  Lamp,"  and  "The  Forty 
Thieves,"  all  the  music  for  which  was  composed  by  Prof.  George 
Careless, ^then  leader  of  the  orchestra. 

It  might  be  a  matter  of  astonishment  to  us  that  Mrs.  Hayne, 
then  at  the  height  of  her  fame,  should  have  tarried  in  Salt  Lake 
ten  months,  did  we  not  know  that  it  was  here  that  she  met  the 
gentleman  who  became  her  second  husband,  James  G.  Cooper, 
then  secretary  of  the  Territory.  They  were  married  and  went 
east,  where,  two  years  later,  the  great  actress  died,  and  was  buried 
in  Port  Jervis,  New  York ;  her  grave  was  unmarked  until  lately, 
when  her  niece,  Julia  Dean,  a  Salt  Lake  girl,  and  today  a  prom-, 
inent  actress,  had  her  resting  place  sought  out,  and  erected  over  it 
a  handsome  headstone. 


18  THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 

Many  here  will  remember  that  President  Young,  who  was 
one  of  the  great  actress'  friends,  had  a  huge  sleigh  built,  and 
named  it  "The  Julia  Dean;"  for  many  years  drawn  by  six 
horses,  and  filled  with  sleighing  parties,  it  was  one  of  the  sights 
on  the  streets  of  our  city.  It  is  worth  noting  that  Miss  A.  A. 
Adams,  made  her  first  appearance  on  the  stage  of  the  Salt  Lake 
Theatre,  the  same  day  that  Julia  Dean  Hayne  arrived  in  the  city, 
July  25,  1865,  and  her  frequent  appearances  with  that  great  ac- 
tress did  much  to  shape  her  after  career. 

Mrs.  Hayne  s  Farewell 

The  last  appearance  in  Salt  Lake  of  Julia  Dean  Hayne  was 
a  memorable  event.  It  took  place  July  4,  1866,  and  the  play  was 
"The  Pope  of  Rome."  The  house  was  packed,  and  President 
Brigham  Young  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the  audience  when 
the  fair  actress,  being  called  before  the  curtain,  made  the  follow- 
ing graceful  speech : 

"Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  It  is  but  seldom  I  lose  the  artist  in 
the  woman  or  permit  a  personal  feeling  to  mingle  with  my  public 
duties ;  yet,  perhaps,  in  now  taking  leave,  I  may  be  pardoned  if 
I  essay  to  speak  of  obligations  which  are  lasting.  If,  during  my 
lengthened  stay  within  your  midst,  some  trials  have  beset  my 
path,  many  kindnesses  have  cheered  the  way,  the  shafts  of  malice 
have  fallen  powerless,  and  the  evil  words  of  falser  hearts  have 
wasted  as  the  air.  And  perhaps  in  teaching  me  how  sweet  the 
gratitude  I  owe  these  friends,  I  should  almost  thank  the  ma- 
lignancy which  called  their  kindness  forth.  For  such,  believe  me. 
memory  holds  a  sacred  chamber  where  no  meaner  emotion  can 
intrude. 

*'To  President  Young,  for  very  many  courtesies  to  a  stranger, 
alone  and  unprotected,  I  return  these  thanks  which  are  hallowed 
by  their  earnestness ;  and  I  trust  he  will  permit  me,  in  the  name 
of  my  art,  to  speak  my  high  appreciation  of  the  order  and  beauty 
that  reigns  throughout  this  house. 

"I  would  the  same  purity  prevailed  in  every  temple  for  the 
drama's  teachings.  Then,  indeed,  the  grand  object  would  be 
achieved  and  it  would  become  a  school 

"  'To  wake  the  soul  by  tender  strokes  of  art, 
To  raise  the  genius  and  to  mend  the  heart.' 

"But  I  Speak  too  long  and  pause — perhaps,  before  the  last 
farewell, 

''  *A  word  that  has  been  and  must  be, 
A  sound  which  makes  us  linger, 
Yet,  Farewell.'  " 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE  19 

It  was  at  that  time  that  the  gifted  Utah  poetess,  Sarah 
Carmichael,  whose  offerings  appeared  regularly  in  the  Deseret 
News,  inscribed  the  following  beautiful  lines  to  Mrs.  Hayne : 

"jULIA  DEAN   HAYNE 

"A  form  of  sculptured  beauty; 

A  deep,  magnetic  face, 
That  draws  the  gazer's  worship 

To  its  intense  embrace; 
Her  beauty  presses  on  the  heart. 

Yet  shines  above  it  far 

"With  a  strange  polar  Lister, 

Exquisite  woman's  star 
Her  beauty  hath  a  splendid  stress 

That  words  cannot  explain, 
Expression  swoons  in  its  caress — 

Julia  Dean  Hayne. 

"A  still  repose  of  motion, 

An  animate  repose; 
Expressive  power  of  silence, 

No  language  can  disclose; 
Her  lip,  with  languid  motion,  turns 

Each  leaf  in  feeling's  book; 

"Her  voice  can  picture  all  things,  but 

Her  eloquence  of  look. 
A  warm  pulse  in  the  world's  great  heart, 

She  thrills  its  every  vein; 
And  bids  its  tear-drops  stay  or  start — 

Julia  Dean  Hayne." 

Couldock  mid  Other  Stars 

Other  foreign  stars  who  appeared  in  that  first  decade,  all  of 
whom  exercised  a  strong  influence  on  the  Deseret  players,  were 
A.  R.  Phelps,  C.  W.  Couldock  and  his  daughter  Eliza.  Couldock 
was  one  of  the  famous  players  of  the  day,  and  his  presentation  of 
"The  Willow  Copse,"  the  play  from  which  "Hazel  Kirke"  was 
produced  years  after,  is  a  vivid  remembrance  with  old  time  theatre- 
goers. He  also  brought  out  "Rosedale,"  playing  the  role  of  Miles 
McKenna,  the  gypsy,  in  rare  fashion.  Couldock  and  his  daughter 
played  several  engagements  here,  and  during  one,  in  the  rniddle 
'60s,  she  died,  and  was  buried  in  the  Mt.  Olivet  cemetery.  Coul- 
dock also  appeared  in  Salt  Lake  several  times  in  later  years,  one 
notable  engagement  being  with  the  Home  Dramatic  Club,  in  1890, 


20 


THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 


when  he  revived  "Hazel  Kirke"  to  im- 
mense business.  He  never  failed  to 
visit  the  resting  place  of  his  daughter 
when  he  passed  through  Salt  Lake. 

Couldock  was  long  known  as  the 
"grand  old  man  of  the  stage,"  and  his 
two  farewells  in  New  York  were  red 
letter  events.  In  one,  in  1887,  Booth, 
Barrett,  Fanny  Davenport,  Joe  Jeffer- 
son and  Mrs.  John  Drew  appeared.  In 
another,  in  1895,  Joe  Jefferson,  Nat 
Goodwin,  Tom  Keene,  W.  H.  Crane, 
Kyrle  Bellew,  Henry  Miller,  DeWolf 
Hopper,  Viola  Allen  and  Mrs.  John 
Drew  gave  a  performance  of  "The 
Rivals,"  the  receipts  of  which  were 
sufficient  to  guarantee  him  an  income 
of  $1200  a  year  as  long  as  he  lived.  He 
died  in  1898,  at  the  age  of  84. 

Another  of  our  "green  room  leg- 
ends" illustrates  the  autocratic  manner  and  irascible  temper  for 
which  Couldock  was  noted.  He  was,  in  fact,  a  veritable  terror 
to  the  stage  hands  when  anything  went  wrong.  W.  C.  Spence, 
of  the  Church  office,  who  filled  minor  roles  in  the  Couldock  days, 
is  authority  for  the  following: 

They  were  playing  "The  Willow  Copse,"  and  the  leader  of 
the  orchestra  should  have  played  a  plaintive,  melancholy  air,  to 
mark  the  entrance  of  Couldock,  who  was  carried  in  on  a 
stretcher.  Through  some  mischance,  the  wrong  cue  was  given, 
and  the  leader  struck  up  a  lively  jig.  The  old  man  delivered  his 
lines,  but  could  be  heard  fuming  and  swearing  under  his  breath. 
The  curtain  had  no  sooner  descended  than  he  leaped  to  his  feet, 
tore  down  to  the  prompt  stand,  pushed  aside  the  curtain,  and 
pushing  his  head  out,  shouted  to  the  leader  of  the  orchestra, 

"Blast  your  eyes.  Professor  — ■ ,  if  I  had  a  brick  bat,  Fd  let 

you  have  it  on  the  head."     The  astonishment  of  the  audience 
and  the  discomfiture  of  the  leader  may  well  be  imagined. 


C.  W.  COULDOCK 

The    "grand     old     man     of     the 
American  stage,"  as  he  ap- 
peared in  "Hazel  Kirke." 


Davenport  an4  Sara  Alexander 

Amy  Stone  and  her  husband,  who  gave  us  our  first  glimpse 
of  such  plays  as  "Wept  of  the  Wishton  Wish,"  "Fanchon  the 
Cricket,"  and  "The  Pearl  of  Savoy,"  came  in  1867-68.  James 
Stark,  who  brought  out  "Money,"  "Victorine,"  "Brutus"  or  "The 
Fall  of  Tarquin,"  came  in  the  same  year.  Mme.  Scheller  was  an- 
other popular  star,  and  during  her  engagement.  Salt  Lake  first 


THK  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE 


21 


beheld  ''Under  the  Gaslight,"  in  which  Phil  Margetts  as  Byke, 
Mrs.  M.  G.  Clawson  as  Judas,  John  C.  Graham  as  Bermudas, 
David  McKenzie  as  Snorkey,  Sara  Alexander  as  Peachblossom, . 
and  Johnny  Matson  as  Peanuts,  made  an  impression  that  was  long 
remembered.  Charlotte  Crampton,  another  noted  star,  who  played 
male  parts,  such  as  Shylock,  Hamlet  and  Richard  III,  with  the 
same  facility  that  she  enacted  Lady  Macbeth  and  Meg  Merrilies, 

came     in     1868.      In 

many  respects  she  was 
said  to  rival  the  great 
Charlotte  Cushman. 
Anette  Ince  then  came 
in  a  round  of  trag- 
edies, followed  by  one 
of  the  most  distin- 
guished stars  of  the 
day,  E.  L.  Davenport, 
father  of  the  famous 
Fanny  Davenport.  He, 
Mrs.  Davenport  (well 
known  as  Fanny  Vin- 
ing)  and  Miss  Ince 
formed  a  trio  whom 
the  Deseret  Dramatic 
players  were  proud 
to  support.  Davenport 
essayed  everything, 
from  Richelieu  down  to  the  role  of  William  in  ''Black  Eyed 
Susan,"  and  in  that  play  the  sailor's  hornpipe,  which  he  and  Miss 
Alexander  executed  together,  was  a  delight  to  them  and  their 
audience.  He  often  complimented  the  little  Salt  Lake  dancer  upon 
her  grace.  Another  "green  room  legend"  says  that  Sara  Alex- 
ander was  the  heroine  of  the  following : 

She  lived  with  one  of  President  Young's  families,  who  had 
befriended  her  and  her  mother  after  they  came  to  Utah  from  the 
east,  where  they  had  been  converted  to  the  Church  by  the  late 
James  Dwyer.  An  eastern  actor  who  played  here  for  some  time, 
wished  to  marry  Miss  Alexander.  Calling  on  President  Young  he 
stated  his  request.  "Young  man,"  the  President  replied,  "I  have 
seen  you  attempt  Richard  III  and  Julius  Caesar  with  fair  success, 
but  I  advise  you  not  to  aspire  to  Alexander." 

McCullough,  Heme,  Lucille  Western 

One  of  the  great  musical  events  of  this  day  came  with  the 
engagement  of  Parepa  Rosa  who,  with  her  husband,  Carl  Ro-n. 
gave  three  concerts.     Then  came  the  visit  of  the  famous  John 


E.  L.  DAVENPORT  AND  SARA  ALEXANDER 

Who  danced  the  Hornpipe  in  "Black  Eyed  Susan." 
E.  L.  Davenport  was  one  of  the  foremost  tragedians 
of  the  American  stage,  and  father  of  Fanny  Daven- 
port. 


22 


THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 


McCullough,  whose  list  of  Shakespearean  roles  left  a  record  that 
has  seldom  been  equaled  here.  The  en- 
gagement ran  twenty-three  nights,  and 
George  B.  Waldron  and  Mme.  Schel- 
ler,  lately  back  from  Montana,  lent 
support.  Annie  Lockhart,  an  English 
actress  of  rare  refinement,  next  played 
here  a  short  time.  She  returned  to 
Salt  Lake  a  year  or  two  later,  and 
died  here.  Then  came  James  A. 
Heme  and  his  wife,  Lucille  West- 
ern. Such  plays  as  "Green  Bushes," 
"Flowers  of  the  Forest,"  "Foul 
play,"  and  "Oliver  Twist"  were 
their  headliners.  It  was  in  the  latter 
play  that  Lucile  Western  indulged  in  a 
bit  of  realism  where  she  is  supposed 
to  be  killed  by  Bill  Sykes,  which  was 
so  revolting  to  the  audience  that  many 
women  fainted.  President  Young  ad- 
vised that  the  piece  should  not  be  al- 


MME.   SCHELLER 

Who    gave     Salt     Lake     its    first 

production  of  "Under 

the  Gaslight." 


lowed  to  be  repeated.  Miss  Western's 
farewell  performance  in  "Arrah  Na- 
Pogue"  was  a  melancholy  affair,  as  it 
is  one  of  the  few  instances  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre  when  the 
curtain  had  to  be  rung  down,  owing  to 
the  indisposition  of  a  star.  The  Hess 
Opera  Company,  which  gave  us  our 
first  vision  of  those  glorious  tenors, 
Maas  and  Castle,  and  the  baritone, 
Carleton,  then  a  young  man,  who 
often  visited  us  in  later  years  at  the 
head  of  the  Carleton  Opera  Company, 
also  belongs  to  those  days. 

Charles  Wheatleigh  in  "After  Dark" 
and  "The  Lottery  of  Life,"  the  How- 
son  Opera  Company,  George  D.  Chap- 
lin,who  gave  us  our  first  view  of  "Arm- 
adale," and  the  burlesque  of  "The 
Seven  Sisters,"  the  famous  Lotta 
in  "Little  Nell,"  and  "Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,"  Joe  Murphy,  Neil  Warner,  the  great  tragedian, 
Kate  Denin,  Charlotte  Thompson,  McKee  Rankin,  Kitty  Blanch- 
drd,  Rose  Evans,  Daniel  Bandmann,  J.  K.  Emmett  in  "Fritz,"  The 
Lingards,  Edwin  Adams,  an  actor  who  has  been  compared  with 


LUCILLE'  WESTERN 

Whose  rendition  of  Nancy  Sykes 

in  "Oliver  Twist"  was  the 

sensation  of  the  decade 

in    Salt   Lake. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE  23 

Booth,  and  a  few  days  later  Adams  and  John  McCullough  to- 
gether in  a  wonderful  round  of  plays ;  Milton  Nobles,  then  an  un- 
known young  actor,  in  'The  Marble  Heart,"  and  Mr.  and  Mjs. 
F.  M.  Bates  with  their  infant,  later  famed  as  Blanche  Bates — ~ 
these  are  some  of  the  visiting  stars,  but  by  no  means  all  of  them, 
who  came  and  went  during  the  first  decade  of  the  Salt  Lake  The- 
atre, and  left  their  impressions  alike  on  their  audiences  and  their 
fellow  players. 

This  brings  us  down  to  1872,  and,  like  the  preacher,  I  might 
say,  "Here  endeth  the  first  lesson,"  for  that  period  was  a  com- 
plete epoch  in  itself,  unique  and  peculiar,  and  unlike  any  other 
in  the  history  of  the  famous  playhouse. 


Part  III 
A  McKenzie  Reminiscence 


The  second  epoch  in  ''The  Story  of  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre" 
might  be  said  to  have  ended  with  the  death  of  President  Brigham 
Young,  which  occurred  in  1877.  After  1872,  the  house  had  en- 
tered upon  a  new  career.  The  old  stock  company  began  to  disin- 
tegrate. The  railroad  had  entered  Salt  Lake,  business  opportu- 
nities expanded,  and  many  of  the  active  men  connected  with  the 
drama,  turned  to  other  channels.  Z.  C.  M.  L  had  been  founded 
with  H.  B.  Clawson  as  its  superintendent.  John  T.  Caine  went 
into  public  life  and  was  elected  to  various  positions,  which  finally 
culminated  in  his  going  to  Congress.  David  McKenzie  who,  prob- 
ably with  most  justice,  can  be  called  the  dominating  figure  among 
the  home  players  of  those  days,  retired  from  acting,  but  occasion- 
ally took  a  hand  in  the  management  of  the  house. 

Mr.  McKenzie's  later  years  were  passed  in  the  active  ser- 
vice of  the  Church.    He  was  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  First  Pres-. 
idency,  and  was  also  president  of  the  High  Priests'  Quorum  of 


THE  OLD  GUARD. 

Reading  from  left  to  right:   David  McKenzie,  Phil  Margetts   (lower),  John   T.   Cainc, 

Mrs.  M.  G.  Clawson,  H.  B.  Clawson.    (Posed  for  the  Christmas  News  of  1910. 

All    have    since    passed    away.) 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE 


25 


the  old  Salt  Lake  Stake,  and  later  of  the  Pioneer  Stake.  He  has 
often  shown  me  an  interesting  book  in  which  he  had  compiled  a 
list  of  all  the  plays  in  which  he  ever  appeared.  He  was  also^ 
rare  narrator  of  some  of  the  ''green  room  legends"  of  the  Salt 
Lake  Theatre,  and  among  others  of  his  stories  was  one  relating 
to  the  first  production  of  "The  Lonely  Man  of  the  Ocean."  He 
told  of  the  shipwreck  scene  in  which  he  played  the  hero,  and  Nel- 
lie Colebrook  the  heroine.  All  the  crew  had  been  stricken  down 
by  yellow  fever,  the  bodies  of  the  sailors  lay  on  deck,  and  he  and 
the  heroine  were  about  to  give  up  in  despair,  when  on  the  horizon 
appeared  a  distant  ship.  The  hero  seized  a  match  to  fire  a  signal 
gun,  exclaiming  to  the'  heroine,  "Dear  one,  thou  shalt  yet  be 
saved !"  He  applied  the  match  to  the  cannon,  but  a  faint  sizzle 
was  the  only  response.  The  cannon  went  on  sputtering,  the  hero 
kneeling  in  agony.  The  property  man,  Charles  Millard,  who  had 
loaded  the  cannon,  stood  in  the  wings,  filled  with  equal  anxiety. 
Finally,  seeing  that  the  cannon 
was  not  "going  ofif,"  he  whis- 
pered to  McKenzie,  "Touch  her 
again."  Again  the  sailor  applied 
the  match,  whereupon  the  in- 
genious Millard  fired  a  pistol  In 
the  wings.  It  was  only  a  crack, 
but  it  sufficed,  and  McKenzie 
shouted  "Our  signal  is  heard. 
We  are  saved !"  The  curtain  fell, 
and  no  sooner  was  the  view  of 
the  audience  shut  out  from  the 
actors  than  the  yellow  fever  vic- 
tims on  deck  began  to  sit  up  and 
demand  an  explanation.  Phil 
Margetts,  one  of  the  stricken 
sailors,  was  standing  in  front  of 
the  cannon,  when  "bang"  it 
went  off  with  a  roar.  The  wad 
struck  him  in  the  back,  and  laid 
him  flat,  ^and  re-bounding  hit 
Bert  Merrill  in  the  hand,  inflict- 
ing a  wound  whose  effects  he 
felt  for  several  days.  The  audi- 
ence, mystified  at  the  explosion,  sent  a  committee  behind  the  cur- 
tain, to  learn  what  the  trouble  was,  and  Mr.  McKenzie  himself 
had  to  appear  and  explain  the  reasons  for  the  belated  signal. 

Stock  Company  Scatters 

Annie  (Asenath)  Adams,  the  heroine  to  McKenzie's  heroes, 
and  with  him  immensely  popular  with  the  audiences  of  those  days, 


JAMES    M.    HARDIE 
A  popular  singer  and  actor  of  the  '60s. 


26 


THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 


married  James  H.  Kiskadden,  in  1869.  Her  daughter,  Maude 
Adams,  was  born  November  11,  1872,  and  soon  after  her  mother 
took  her  to  the  coast.  The  two  returned  to  Salt  Lake  several 
times,  as  our  narrative  later  will  show,  and  it  has  often  been 
narrated  as  a  part  of  the  history  of  the  American  stage,  how 
Maude,  at  the  age  of  nine  months,  was  carried  across  the 
stage  of  our  theatre  on  a  platter,  as  a  substitute  for  another 
infant  suddenly  incapacitated  by  a  crying  spell — her  very  first 
appearance  on  any  stage.  J.  M.  Hardie,  by  this  time  a  fine 
romantic    actor,    went    abroad    to    seek    his    fortune,    and    for 

years  was  heard  of  starring  in 

this  country  and  England.  He 
died  some  years  ago,  jand  is  bur- 
ied in  Liverpool.  Sara  Alexan- 
der also  left  the  state  to  follow  a 
professional  life.  She  is  now  liv- 
ing in  New  York  with  her  niece. 
Lisle  Leigh,  a  well-known  ac- 
tress. John  C.  Graham  went  into 
the  newspaper  business  and  re- 
moved to  Provo,  where  he  acted 
occasionally,  and  died  in  1906. 
Nellie  Colebrook  appeared  only 
at  rare  intervals  after  1874, 
and  died  some  years  ago.  John 
Lindsay  left  and  became  a  travel- 
ing star  in  the  west,  re-visiting 
the  old  playhouse  at  intervals 
with  his  daughters.  He  wrote 
his  experiences  in  a  book  called 
The  Mormons  and  the  The- 
atre, which  is  full  of  interesting 
episodes.  W.  C.  Dunbar,  with 
John  T.  Caine  and  E.  L.  Sloan, 
founded  the  Salt  Lake  Herald,  in 
1870,  and  Dunbar,  drollest  of  all  our  comedians,  rarely  appeared 
on  the  stage  thereafter.  Margaret  Clawson  retired  to  care  for  her 
rapidly  growing  family,  and  H.  E.  Bowring  removed  to  Brigham 
City  and  died  there.  Henry  Maiben,  a  delightful  comedian  and 
a  rare  Christian  gentleman,  only  occasionally  appeared,  but  once 
or  twice  came  out  of  his  retirement  to  play  with  the  Home  Club, 
in  the  '80s.  Phil  Margetts  alone,  of  all  the  old  players,  remained 
almost  constantly  in  the  harness  till  age  and  illness  incapacitated 
him.  Long  after  his  fellow  placers  had  retired,  he  formed  vari- 
ous companies  to  support  him  in  "Our  Boys,"  "The  Lancashire 
Lass,"  'The  Charcoal  Burner,"  "The  Chimney  Corner,"  and  many 
others.   He  appeared  in  the  Home  Dramatic  Club's  production  of 


GEORGE  M.  OTTINGER 

The  veteran  fire  chief  as  the  King, 
"Hamlet." 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SAET  LAKE  THEATRE 


27 


"The  Lights  o'  London,"  about  1887,  and  imparted  all  his  old 
vigor  and  humor  to  his  role,  that  of  Joe  Jarvis ;  when  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  the  Theatre  was  celebrated,  in  1912,  though  he  was 
partially  paralyzed,  he  was  wheeled  upon  the  stage,  and  from  his 
chair,  he  delivered  a  selection  from  Shakespeare  with  a  readiness 
and  distinctness  which  told  his  mind  was  as  clear  as  in  his  old  his- 
trionic days.  He  died  in  September,  1914,  ''the  last  of  the  Old 
Guard." 

The  Old  Guard 


And  speaking  of  the  **01d  Guard" — I  feel  a  personal  pride  in 
having  been  instrumental  in  bringing  together,  a  few  years  ago,  the 
five  pioneer  players  known  as  "The  Old  Guard  of  the  Drama  in 
L'tah,"  Messrs.  Clawson,  Caine,  McKenzie,  Margetts,  and  Mrs. 
Clawson,  having  them  photographed  in  a  group,  and  securing 
their  personal  memoirs.  I  realized  it  could  only  be  a  short  time 
before  all  of  them  would  receive  the  final  call  from  the  great  man- 
ager who  arranges  all  our  entrances  and  exits.  Each  has  since 
joined  the  "innumerable  cara- 
van." Their  pictures  will  be 
found  in  the  Christmas  Neivs  of 
1910,  accompanied  by  the  follow- 
ing notice : 

"Those  familiar  with  the 
history  of  the  drama  in  Utah  will 
not  need  to  be  told  the  names  of 
the  grand  old  quintet  whose  faces 
look  forth  from  this  page,  or  the 
distinguished  part  they  played  in 
the  early  history  of  the  state. 
They  are  almost  the  sole  links 
that  connect  us  with  the  days  of 
Nauvoo.  Glawson,  Caine,  Mar- 
getts, McKenzie,  and  Margaret 
Clawson !  What  a  pathway  of 
achievements  they  can  look  back 
upon !  What  a  stupendous  total 
in  the  sum  of  general  good  is 
piled  up  to  their  credit !  What  a 
debt  did  the  pioneers  of  Utah, 
for  whose  pleasure  they  toiled, 
owe  to  them !  How  many  cares 
they  vanquished,  how  many  smiles  they  started,  how  many  tears 
they  wiped  away,  in  the  old  days  when  the  community  was  coming 
up  through  the  hard  processes  of  formation !" 

"A  joyful  occasion  it  was,  as  may  be  imagined,  when  the  five 
survivors  of  the  old  Deseret  Dramatic   Association    (its  official 


MRS.  M.   BOWRING 

As   Lady    Macbeth. 


28 


THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 


title)  came  together  a  few  weeks  since  at  the  request  of  the  man- 
agement of  The  Deseret  Nezus  and  posed  before  the  camera  for 
the  picture  shown  on  this  page.  It  was  the  first  time  they  had  met 
in  many  years,  and  the  greetings,  the  inquiries  for  each  other's 
health  and  welfare,  the  solicitude  for  'dear  old  Phil,'  who  still 
suffers  from  a  paralytic  stroke,  and  is  helped  in  and  out  of  the 
carriage  by  members  of  his  family — all  make  up  a  delightful  babel 
of  sounds.     What  a  flood  of  reminiscences  is  let  loose!     Mrs. 

Clawson,  Mr.  Margetts,  and  Da- 
vid McKenzie,  three  survivors 
of  the  once  famous  'Under  the 
Gaslight'  cast,  salute  each  other 
by  their  stage  names.  Who  that 
beheld  them  can  ever  forget  them 
—'Old  Judas,'  'Byke'  and 
'Snorkey,'  the  one-armed  sol- 
dier whom  the  villains  tried  to 
kill  by  tying  him  to  the  railroad 
track  ?  Imagine  the  gentle-faced 
Annt  Margaret  of  today  in  that 
role  or  as  Judy  O'Trot!  Bishop 
Clawson  comes  in  a  few  minutes 
late,  and  his  old  time  managerial 
associate,  John  T.  Caine,  aus- 
terely informs  him  that  he  is 
docked  $2.00  for  keeping  the  re- 
hearsal waiting! 

"  'Dear  old  John  Graham ; 
wouldn't  he  have  liked  to  be 
here?'  ruminates  his  old  associ- 
ate and  fellow-comedian,  Phil 
Margetts.  Graham,  the  Bermu- 
das of  that  'Under  the  Gaslight'  cast :  how  his  image  stands  out ! 
Lindsay,  Hardie,  Nellie  Colebrook,  Harry  Bowring,  W.  C.  Dun- 
bar, Al  Thorne,  and  a  host  of  others  whose  names  are  now  but  a 
memory,  come  in  for  some  mention  or  other,  as  the  skein  of  rec- 
ollections is  unwound,  and  very  tender,  very  gentle,  grow  the  tones 
of  the  veterans,  as  the  exchange  of  reminiscences  goes  around." 


BERNARD    SNOW 


/it!  actor  of  the  early  Social  Hall  and 
Theatre  days. 


President  Young's  Interest 

During  all  those  years,  President  Brigham  Young  maintained 
the  active,  personal  and  almost  affectionate  regard  that  he  always 
manifested  for  the  threatre.  In  the  middle  and  later  seventies, 
when  increasing  responsibilities  and  advancing  years  told  upon  his 
energy,  he  attended  the  performances  less  frequently,  but  through 
his  agents  he  kept  in  the  closest  touch  with  its  affairs.    Some  idea 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE 


29 


of  his  interest  in  and  connection  with  the  house,  and  of  the  respect 
and  veneration  with  which  the  players  regarded  him,  is  obtained 
from  the  following  selections : 

In  his  interesting  recollections  of  the  early  drama  in  Utah, 
contributed  to  the  Christmas  Nezvs  some  years  ago,  David  Mc- 
Kenzie  says : 

''President  Young  was  ardently  devoted  to  theatrical  enter- 
tainments, especially  those  of  an  amusing  character.  He  said  to 
the  audience,  on  the  opening  night  of  the  theatre:  *If  I  had  my 
way  I  would  never  have  a  tragedy  played  on  these  boards.    There 


iv 

^^_     .^ 

1 

LEADING   MEMBERS    OF   THE   DESERET    DRAMATIC   ASSOCIATION 

Standing  (from  left  to  right),  David  McKenzie,  Phil  Margetts,  John  S.  Lindsay,  James 
/\.  Thompson.  Seated:  Henry  Maiben,  Nellie  Colebrook,  Annie  A.  Adams.  (This 
group  was  taken  by  Savage  &  Ottinger,  in  the  later  '60s.  The  only  active  member 
of  the  company  missing  is  John  C.  Graham.) 

is  enough  tragedy  in  every-day  life,  and  we  ought  to  have  amuse- 
ment when  we  come  here!'  He  was  equally  interested  in  the  art 
of  dancing,  but  he  deprecated  waltzing. 

"It  was  indispensable  with  him  that  all  those  entertainments 
should  be  conducted  under  the  terms  of  the  strictest  morality. 
As  early  as  1854,  he  personally  attended  our  rehearsals.  He  had 
his  private  carriage  convey  the  lady  actresses  to  and  from  the 
Social  Hall  on  every  occasion,  so  as  to  avoid  the  society  that  might 
embarrass  them  after  the  performances.  Those  rehearsals  and 
dances  were  invariably  opened  with  prayer.  He  sternly  opposed 
the  habits  of  smoking  and  drinking,  and  he  insisted  that  the  play- 


30 


THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 


house  ought  to  be  as  sacred  as  the  temple,  and  might  be  made  so 
by  the  proper  conduct  of  those 
who  were  engaged  in  them.  He 
used  every  laudable  means  to  in- 
culcate those  views,  but  Presi- 
dent Young  was  no  autocrat  and 
his  good  counsels  were  not  al- 
ways enforced,  although  not  al- 
together unheeded.  Yet  I  know 
of  several  instances  where  im- 
proper conduct  on  the  part  of 
performers  caused  their  instant 
dismissal." 

John  T.  Caine,  in  his  speech, 
Christmas  night,  1862,  said: 

"For  all  the  grandeur  of 
conception,  magnificence  of  de- 
sign, and  beauty  of  execution, 
which  characterize  everything 
that  surrounds  us  here  tonight, 
we  are  pre-eminently  indebted  to 
him  who  is  ever  foremost  in 
every  good  work,  the  patron  of  John  c.  graham 

the  fine  arts,  the   friend  of  the      ^""^  ^^^"^  ^""""^'Sin"" "°"'  ^^"^"'■''^" 

industrious  talent,  and  in  the 
fullest  and  broadest  sense  the 
first  citizen  of  Utah." 

President  Young,  in  the 
familiar  arm-chair,  in  the  body 
of  the  house,  sat  and  listened 
to  this  encomium  and  we  can 
well  imagine  the  applause  which 
followed. 

Mrs.  Adams'  Reminiscences 

Mrs.  Annie  Adams  Kis- 
kadden  once  said,  in  an  article 
contributed  to  the  Christmas 
Nezvs,  entitled  "Green  Room 
Memories :" 

"Our  first  nights  in  those 
days  were  very  interesting 
events.  Though  the  city  was 
small,  we  often  played  to  audi- 
ences that  filled  every  portion  of 
the    house,    and    sometimes    O'lr 


MRS.  A.   A.   ADAMS 
Mother  of  Maude  Adams,   in    1868. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAN 


THEATRE 


31 


plays  ran  a  week.  Our  audiences 
always  included  Church  leaders, 
with  President  Brigham  Young 
at  the  head  ;  the  judges,  the  terri- 
torial officials  sent  out  from 
Washington,  and  often  the  mili- 
tary from  Fort  Douglas.  The  fig- 
ure of  President  Young,  seated 
at  the  end  of  a  bench  in  a  large 
arm-chair,  is  as  clearly  before  me 
while  I  write,  as  though  it  were 
yesterday.  He  was  a  great  critic 
of  the  drama,  and  was  very  par- 
ticular as  to  the  class  of  plays 
that  the  company  presented.  He 
often  dropped  in  on  us  at  rehear- 
sals, and  frequently  went  over 
the  house  from  top  to  bottom  to 
see  whether  it  was  kept  in  or- 
der." 

Sara  Alexander  is  quoted  in 
the  Christmas  Neivs,  a  few  years 


ago,  as  saymg : 

"There  is  no  other 


theatr 


J.  M.  SIMMONS 
Pioneer   actor,   as    Alonzo   in   "Pizzaro. 


W.    C.   DUNBAR 

Famous  comedian,  vocalist,  and  bagpipe 
performer;  also  one  of  the  founders 
of  the   Salt  Lake  Herald. 

Duilt  in  these  days  just  as  'com- 
fy' as  the  old  Salt  Lake  Theatre, 

and  no  stock  company  was  ever 
quite  so  homelike  and  jolly  as 
that  we  belonged  to,  and  as.  for 
the  stage,  President  Young  knew 
more  about  the  needs  of  a  large 
stage  than  any  manager  now  liv- 

mg:- 

Lainhournes  Tribute 

Alfred  Lambourne,  in  his 
Playhouse,  tells  of  his  first 
meeting  with  President  Brigham 
Young  as  follows : 

"It  was  upon  the  Scene- 
Painter's  Gallery,  that  the  writer 
first  met  Brigham  Young.  It 
was  of  a  late  afternoon  in  au- 
tumn ;  the  rehearsal  for  that 
night's  play  was  over,  the  Scene- 
Painter's  brush  was  moving  rap- 
idly upon  the   broad   spread   of 


32 


THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 


canvas  before  him,  and  he  thought  himself  alone.  Anon  was 
heard  the-,  sound  of  firm,  yet  almost  inaudible  footsteps  upon  the 
gallery  stairs.  Then  the  maker  appeared,  and  it  was  the  Pres- 
ident, the  great  'Mormon'  leader.  Unheralded  he  had  come 
upon  a  tour  of  inspection.  Brigham  Young  was  famed  for  com- 
pleteness ;  he  possessed  a  genius  for  details.  Carefully  the  Pres- 
ident examined  each  water  tank,  each  barrel  of  salt.     He  ap- 


MAUDE  ADAMS  IN  GIRLHOOD  DAYS— ABOUT   1890 

peared  to  think  that  day,  of  the  Playhouse's  danger  from  fire. 
He  broke,  with  the  end  of  his  gold-headed  cane,  the  thick  crusts 
that  had  formed  over  the  tops  of  the  barrels  of  salt.  I  watched 
him  shake  his  head  and  compress  his  lips;  there  came  a  frown 
upon  his  face.     His  orders  for  safety,  one  could  see,  had  been 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAFCE  THEATRE  33 

neglected,  he  did  a  labor  which  should  have  been  remembered 
and  performed  by  others.  No  doubt  someone  would  be  repri- 
manded. I  have  always  believed  that  during  the  handshake  that- 
came  a  few  minutes  later,  the  *Moses  of  the  West'  *sized  me 
up,'  as  we  are  wont  to  say,  spiritually,  mentally  and  physically, 
with  those  steadv,  keen  and  searchine  eves." 


Part   IV 
Our  Own  Times 


The  third  epoch  (and  last)  in  the  history  of  our  playhouse, 
l)rings  it  down  to  our  own  times,  or  to  a  period  within  the  mem- 
ory of  the  present  generation — so  it  hardly  possesses  the  interest 
that  attaches  to  the  performances  of  the  pioneers.  And  yet  the 
new  period  was  one  that  saw  the  birth  and  development  of  a  long- 
list  of  talented  home  players,  many  of  whom  have  written  their 
names  in  high  places  on  the  scroll  of  fame.  Maude  x\dams,  first 
borne  across  the  stage  as  a  babe  in  ''The  Lost  Child,"  when  she 
was  less  than  a  year  old  (in  1873)  appeared  several  times  with 
her  mother  and  the  local  .players  up  till  the  early  eighties.  In 
1881,  when  she  w^as  nine,  she  sang  between  the  acts  of  ''Divorce,'* 
in  which  her  mother  was  playing  with  the  Home  Dramatic  Club, 
and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  paying  her  $7.50  for  each  performance. 
Ada  Dwyer,  Sallie  Fisher,  Viola  Pratt,  E.  M.  Royle  (author  of 
"The  Squaw  Man"),  Arthur  Shepherd,  Julia  Dean  and  Emma 
Lucy  Gates  are  among  some  of  the  more  luminous  names  of  our 
gifted  sons  and  daughters,  to  whom  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre  has 
been  a  stepping  stone  to  broader  fields  of  success  in  the  outside 
world. 


Early  Day  Memories 

The  Home  Dramatic  Club  perhaps  deserves  a  mention  by 
itself,  and  if  my  brief  narration  of,  its  career  involves  the  fre- 
quent use  of  the  personal  pronoun,  I  trust  you  will  criticize  the 
fates  that  were  responsible,  not  me. 

There  were  certain  pioneer  families  connected  with  the  Salt 
Lake  Theatre  from  its  inception,  almost,  as  it  were,  with  hooks  of 
steel.  The  Youngs,  Wellses,  Clawsons  and  Whitneys  were  some 
of  these.  My  father,  Horace  K.  Whitney,  one  of  the  original 
pioneer  band  of  1847,  an  associate  of  Brigham  Young  and  H.  B. 
Clawson  in  Nauvoo,  played  the  flute  in  the  band  there,  and  was  a 
nember  of  the  earliest  musical  and  dramatic  organization  formed 
in  "the  valley."  He  appeared  in  the  cast  of  the  first  plays  given 
in  the  Social  Hall  in  1853,  and  was  a  member  of  Prof.  Thomas' 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE  35 

orchestra  the  night  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre  opened,  in  1862 ;  when 
Prof.  George  Careless  re-organized  the  orchestra,  and  put  it  upon 
a  salaried  basis,  several  years  later,  he  was  one  of  those  retained^ 
He  alternated  for  some  years  between  the  stage  and  the  orches- 
tra as  his  services  were  needed,  usually  playing  old  men's  parts. 

Among  my  earliest  memories  of  my  father  are  those  of  see- 
ing him  in  our  apple  orchard,  walking  back  and  forth  with  a  roll 
of  manuscript  in  his  hands,  committing  his  parts  to  memory,  and 
my  brother.  Bishop  Whitney,  and  I  learned  to  know  those  were 
the  periods  when  he  must  not  be  disturbed.  He  used  often  to 
take,  us  to  the  theatre,  and  I  well  remember  my  consternation 
when  I  was  informed  that  I  had  grown  too  tall  to  accompany  hiiii 
through  the  stage  door  into  the  orchestra,  and  from  there  lifted 
over  the  rail  into  a  seat  in  the  parquet.  Occasionally  I  gained 
admission  into  the  third  circle  by  carrying  water  from  across  the 
street  up  those  interminable  gallery  stairs.  Heber  J.  Grant,  vice- 
president  of  the  theatre  today,  had  a  similar  experience  about 
the  same  time. 

Frequently  when  my  brother  and  I  had  performed  some  un- 
usual service  at  home,  such  as  spreading  an  unparalleled  acreage 
of  peeled  peaches  on  the  roof,  or  ''sprouting"  a  cellar  full"  of 
fungus  covered  potatoes,  we  were  rewarded  with  enoug'h  money 
to  buy  a  third  circle  ticket.  Not  infrequently,  too,  it  happened 
that  some  of  President  Young's  sons,  our  playmates,  would  per- 
suade ''Brother  Schofield,"  door-keeper  of  the  President's  private 
entrance,  to  admit  us  into  the  section  reserved  for  the  Young 
family.  How  we  reveled  in  those  stage  productions!  No  boys 
in  fairy  tales,  permitted  to  gaze  into  the  lands  of  enchantment, 
•and  behold  the  deeds  of  magicians,  ever  drank  in  those  sights 
with  more  avidity  than  that  with  which  our  eyes  devoured  anci 
our  ears  absorbed  the  wonderful  achievements  of  the  old  Deseret 
Stock  company. 

■   'The  Robbers  of  the  Rockies" 

In  1872,  James  A.  McKnight,  an  ambitious  youngster,  wrote 
a  play  called  "The  Robbers  of  the  Rocky  Mountains."  We  were 
all  promised  a  part,  and  the  Social  Hall  was  secured.  The  Young 
boys  offered  to  obtain  some  old  scenery  stored  in  their  father's 
barn,  which  stood  on  what  is  now  First  Avenue,  in  the  rear  of 
the  Bransford  Apartments.  They  had  only  carried  away  a  few 
sets,  when  President  Young's  overseer  informed  them  that  their 
father  objected:  but  seeing  the  consternation  of  the  youthful 
Thespians,  the  president  sent  for  the  manager  of  the  Salt  Lake 
Theatre,  and  said.  'Those  bovs  have  a  play.     They  call  it  'The 


36  THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 

Robbers  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.'  I  don't  know  much  about  the 
niountairis,  but  they  certainly  made  a  clean  job  of  my  old  barn. 
Give  them  a  date  at  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre."  So  the  play  was 
brought  out  there  on  July  13,  1872,  memorable  as 'the  first  night 
on  which  the  house  was  illuminated  by  gas.  I  don't  think  the 
date  was  memorable  on  any  other  account.  The  programs  or 
the  event  show  that  the  Wellses,  Clawsons,  Youngs  and  Whit- 
neys  were  well  represented  in  the  cast. 

From  that,  it  was  only  a  step  to  becoming  supernumeraries 
on  the  real  stage,  good-natured  Manager  Jimmy  Harris  (Presi- 
dent Young's  son-in-law)  admitting  several  of  the  bigger  boys  to 
the  ranks.  I  was  only  fourteen,  but  I  was  tall  for  the  age,  and 
I  shall  never  forget  the  joy  I  experienced  when  my  brother  Orson 
F.,  three  years  older,  informed  me  we  were  going  on  as  jurors  in 
"Article  47."  Our  pride  knew  no  bounds  when  we  appeared  the 
same  night  in  the  army  of  Macbeth,  and  by  merely  changing 
our  spears  for  battle  axes,  and  doffing  helmets  in  place  of  bon- 
nets, marched  across  the  stage  as  the  army  of  Macduff.  Occa- 
sionally, I  believe,  my  brother  was  entrusted  with  such  lines  as 
"My  lord,  the  carriage  waits,"  or  'Ts  your  ladyship  at  home?" 
But-  no  such  good  fortune  ever  befell  me. 

One  night  of  agony,  during  that  period,  I  ])articularly  re- 
member. George  D.  Chaplin  was  playing  "Pocahontas,"  in 
which  we  all  went  on  as  Indians.  I  was  late  in  arriving,  and 
Marry  Horsley,  then  costumer  and  captain  of  supers,  informed  me 
that  though  there  was  a  costume  for  me,  the  supply  of  wigs  had 
given  out.  A  trifle  like  that  did  not  disconcert  me,  so,  donning  the 
redskin's  suit,  and  begriming  my  face  with  red  and  yellow  paint, 
I  joined  the  band.  My  hair  was  then  a  pronounced  sandy  auburn, 
with  the  auburn  predominating,  and  when  Mr.  Chaplin  saw  me  he 
could  not  repress  a  roar.  He  did  not  ring  down  the  curtain,  but 
when  the  act  ended,  he  called  Harry  Horsley,  and  said,  "Harry, 
there  may  have  been  blonde  Indians  in  the  time  of  Pocahontas, 
but  they  are  now  extinct.  Get  that  boy  a  wig,  or  send  him  home.'' 
I  think  Mr.  Horsley  compromised  by  taking  a  blacking  brush  to 
my  hair,  and  I  was  allowed  to  finish  the  play,  but  I  don't  think 
I  was  ever  expected  back  again. 

Bishop  Whitney  remained  actively  before  the  footlights  in  an 
amateur  capacity,  and  finally  determined  to  adopt  the  stage  as  a 
l^rofession.  A  number  of  his  associates  tendered  him  a  farewell 
benefit  in  the  Social  Hall,  and  raised  a  goodly  sum  of  money  to 
see  him  on  his  way.  He  was  almost  ready  to  pack  his  trunk, 
when  an  envelope  bearing  the  imprint  of  Box  B,  calling  him  to  a 
mission  in  Pennsylvania,  changed  all  his  plans  and  the  current  of 
his  life.  Truly  there  is  "a  divinity  that  shapes  our  ends,  rough- 
hew  them  how  we  will." 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE 


Birth  of  the  Home  Dramatic  Club 


The  stage  next  saw  me  when  Prof.  Careless  produced  ''Pina^ 
fore,"  in  1878.  Several  of  us  boys  were  studying  music  with 
him,  and  we  joined  the  chorus,  I  assisting  in  the  the  business 
management.  This  was  the  first  of  the  famous  Gilbert  and  Sulli- 
van works  produced  here  and  it  created  a  furore ;  it  was  repeated 
times  without  number.  It  brought  us  all  into  such  prominence 
that  I  well  remember  my  employer,  W.  S.  McCornick,  the  banker, 
for  whom  I  was  then  bookkeeper,  used  to  debate  with  my  associ- 
ate, Frank  Kimball,  whether  I  was  not  wasting  my  talents  on  his 
books.  While  he  was  in  this  frame  of  mind  one  day,  there  came 
into  the  bank  (which  then  stood  on  IMain  Street,  near  the  site  of 
the  Kearns  building)  a  little,  plainly-dressed  lady  who  asked  for 
Mr.  Whitney.  She  said  her  name 
was  Annie  Adams.  Mv  heart 
leaped  as  I  recognized  the  stage 
heroine  of  my  youth,  whom  T  had 
worshiped  from  the  third  circle, 
the  leading  lady  of  the  old  Des- 
eret  Dramatic  Company.  She 
said  she  had  lately  returned 
from  San  Francisco  with  her 
little  daughter  Maude,  and  had 
brought  with  her  the  manuscript 
of  a  play  then  all  the  rage  in  the 
East,  'The  Two  Orphans."  She 
had  heard  of  our  success  in  "Pin- 
afore," and  said  she  wished  to 
know  whether  it  would  be  possi- 
ble to  get  a  cast  of  amateurs 
from  that  company  to  support 
her  in  the  production.  As  the 
conversation  took  place  under  the 
eye  of  Mr.  McCornick,  and  as 
his  particular  optic  was  never 
noted  for  encouraging  amusement  themes  in  business  hours,  I 
had  to  make  a  later  appointment,  which  I  did  in  conjunction  with 
J.  T.  White  (the  Doctor  White  of  today,  then  badly  stage  and 
opera-struck)  and  John  S.  Barnes.  ''The  Two  Orphans"  was 
cast  for  Miss  Adams'  benefit,  and  the  production  came  ofif  in  June, 
1879.  Every  member,  except  herself  and  W.  T.  Harris  (who 
played  the  old  hag,  Frochard)  was  an  amateur,  and  the  main 
parts  were  rendered  by  Orson  F.  Whitney,  Laron  A.  Cummings, 
Heber  M.  Wells,  John  D.  Spencer,  J.  T.  White,  Dellie  Clawson, 
and  Kittie  Heywood. 


B.B.YOUNG,  EMMA  WHITE  AND  T. 
T.  WHITE  IN  "H.M.S.  PINAFORE'"' 

First    of   the    Gilbert    &    Sullivan    operas 
ever  produced  in  Utah. 


38  THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 

The  performance  was  an  immense  success,  so  much  so  that 
during  the  following  winter,  plans  were  adopted  for  the  organ- 
ization of  a  permanent  company  under  the  name  of  the  Home 
Dramatic  Club.  There  were  eight  original  members:  O.  F. 
Whitney,  Heber  M.  Wells,  John  D.  Spencer,  L.  A.  Cummings, 
Lottie  Claridge  and  Dellie  Clawson,  with  H.  L.  A.  Culmer  and 
H.  G.  Whitney  as  managers. 


Some  Notable  Plays 

The  first  play  was  "The  Romance  of  a  Poor  Young  Man," 
and  the  date  was  April  1,  1880.  David  McKenzie  coached  the 
players,  giving  the  ''business"  he  had  learned  from  George 
Pauncefort  sixteen  years  before.  The  new  organization  created 
a  sensation,  and  it  followed  rapidly  with  such  plays  as  "Ex- 
tremes," "Ours,"  "Rosedale,"  "Pique,"  and  "The  Banker's 
Daughter,"  Mr.  McKenzie  acting  as  instructor  up  to  the  produc- 
tion of  the  latter.  Then  the  company  felt  able  to  stand  alone, 
and  for  fourteen  years,  at  regular  intervals,  producing  three  or 
four  new  plays  a  year,  they  continued  before  the  public.  New 
members  of  the  club  were  admitted  in  Edith  Clawson,  Birdie 
Cummings,  and  B.  S.  Young,  who  lent  decided  strength  to  the 
original  group.  Ivy  Green,  Mrs.  S.  H.  Clawson,  Mrs.  R.  C. 
Easton,  Mrs.  Henry  Dinwoodey,  Lyde  Wells,  Harry  Taylor, 
Jno.  E.  Evans,  Harry  Horsley,  Nan  Savage,  Clara  Clawson,  Mrs. 
J.  D.  Spencer,  and  Mrs.  H.  L.  A.  Culmer  also  appeared  occa- 
sionally. Bishop  Whitney  early  retired  from  the  company,  as 
did  L.  A.  Cummings,  and  Heber  M.  Wells  progressed  from 
comedy  roles  to  those  of  leading  man.  Mr.  Culmer  also  with- 
drew from  the  management  soon  after  the  production  of  "The 
r>anker's   Daughter." 

The  main  successes  of  the  Home  Dramatic  Club  during 
those  fourteen  years  were,  in  addition  to  the  plays  named,  "Sar- 
atoga," "Our  Boarding  House,"  "The  Money  Spinner"  (pro- 
duced in  the  Walker  Opera  House  when  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre 
was  unobtainable),  "Confusion,"  "Storm  Beaten,"  "Youth," 
"Lights  o'  London,"  "Green  Lanes  of  England"  (in  which  (Jrson 
F.  Whitney  made  his  last  appearance,  in  1883),  several  revivals 
of  "The  Two  Orphans,"  "Divorce,"  "Diplomacy,"  "Shaughraun," 
"Held  by  the  Enemy,"  "The  Wages  of  Sin,"  "Hazel  Kirke," 
"Called  Back,"  "Storm  Beaten,"  "The  Silver  King,"  and  "Saints 
,and  Sinners,"  besides  many  lesser  successes.  In  producing 
"Hazel  Kirke"  the  company  paid  the  veteran  C.  W.  Couldock 
five  hundred  dollars  to  cross  the  continent  and  play  for  a  week 
the  famous  role  which  he  created  in  New  York. 


THE  HOME  DRAMATIC   CLUR--1880-1894 

The  members  of  this  once  popular  organization  are:  upper  left  hand  corner,  first 
row,  reading  from  left  to  right,  Heber  M.  Wells,  Orson  F.  Whitney,  John  D.  Spencer; 
second  row,  Edith  Clawson,  Lottie  Claridge,  Birdie  Cummings;  third  row,  Laron  A. 
Cummings,  Dellie  Clawson;  fourth  row,  B.  S.  Young,  H.  L.  A.  Culmer  and  H.  G. 
Whitney.  Four  members,  Lottie  Claridge  (Mrs.  B.  S.  Young),  Birdie  Cummings  (Mrs. 
II.  M.  Wells),  Laron  A.  Cummings  and  H.  L.  A.  Culmer,  are  now  deceased. 


4C» 


THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 


A   Tribute  from  Stoddart 


The  last  ])erformance  of  the  club  was  in  "Saints  and  Sin- 
ners," with  J.  H.  Stoddart,  that  rare  old  actor  who  became  still 
more  famous  in  later  years  in  *'The  Ronnie  Briar  Bush."  He 
also  was  paid  five  hundred  dollars  for  a  week's  engagement,  and 

he  left  an  inneflfaceable  impression, 
riow  he  viewed  his  association  with 
the  "Mormon"  players  is  feelingly 
cold  in  his  book  entitled  ''Recollections 
of  a  Player,"  printed  by  the  Century 
Company,  in  which  he  says : 

"The  opening  of  the  next  season  was 
with  the  production  of  a  play  in  which  I 
was  not  cast,  and  in  the  meantime  I  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Salt  Lake,  asking  me 
to  go  there  and  play  for  a  week  with  an 
amateur  organization  in  "Saints  and  Sin- 
ners." As  the  offer  was  a  liberal  one.  and 
Mr.  Palmer  consented,  I  went.  "Saints 
and  Sinners"  had  always  been  a  favorite 
play  in  Salt  Lake.  Although  it  was  quite 
a  long  journey  to  take  for  a  week's  en- 
gagement, I  was  amply  repaid  by  the 
warmth  of  my  reception  and  the  kindly 
courtesy  extended  to  me  during  my  brief 
stay.  We  had  only  two  rehearsals,  and 
it  really  would  have  astonished  many  old 
professionals  to  have  seen  the  careful  at- 
tention, earnestness  and  abilitv  displayed 
b}''  my  'Mormon'  associates.  The  play  was  excellently  staged  and 
well  performed.  The  parts  of  Lettie  Fletcher  and  Hoggard  were 
acted  by  near  relatives  of  Brigham  Young,  and  Ralph  Kingsley  was 
played  by  Mr.  Heber  Wells,  the  present  governor  of  Utah,  and  in  a 
manner  that  would  have  been  creditable  to  any  experienced  actor. 
Mr,  Whitne3^  of  the  Salt  Lake  Herald,  was  stage  manager,  business 
man,  and  in  fact  general  factotum  of  the  enterprise.  Mr.  Palmer  had 
played  his  company  for  a  great  many  years  in  Salt  Lake  while  on  its 
way  to  the  coast,  and  it  has  always  been  to  me  a  source  of  pleasure  to 
visit  the  city.  The  company's  visits  had  ever  been  anticipated  and  ar- 
rangements for  their  stay  made,  so  as  to  render  it  pleasant  and  agree- 
able. Much  was  done  for  our  amusement,  including  organ  recitals  at 
the  'Mormon'  Temple  [tabernacle],  excursions  to  the  lake,-  social  re- 
ceptions, etc.  When  one  contemplates  what  has  been  accomplished 
in  this  city  in  creating  as  it  were  a  garden  out  of  a  desert,  founding 
and  building  so  beautiful  a  metropolis,  bespeaking  so  much  toil,  thrift, 
and  indomitable  perseverance,  it  must  call  for  sincere  admiration  and 
command  great  respect.  The  week  ended,  I  said  good-bye  to  my 
Salt  Lake  friends  with  much  regret  and  returned  to  New  York." 

"Saints  and  Sinners,"  produced  in  October,  1894,  was  the 
farewell  rendition  of  the  Home  Club,  for  almost  as  soon  as  the 
curtain  descended  the  political  campaign  began,  which  took  the 


T.\MES   II.    STODDART 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE 


41 


club's  leading  man,  Heber  M.  Wells,  into  political  life.  The 
Republican  party  ruined  a  good  actor,  merely  to  get  a  governor, 
for  which  I  have  never  felt  to  forgive  it. 

Salt  Lake  Opera  Company 

Another  organization  which  might  be  said  to  have  sprung 
from  the  Home  Dramatic  Club  was  the  Salt  Lake  Opera  Com- 
pany, which  held  the  boards  of  the 
Salt  Lake  Theatre  from  1897  down 
to  two  or  three  years  ago.  The 
company  was  organized  by  the 
lamented  H.  S.  Goddard,  W.  E. 
Weihe  and  John  D.  Spencer,  with  H. 
G.  Whitney  as  manager.  Later 
George  D.  Pyper  entered  the  com- 
pany, and  Prof.  J-  J.  McClellan  suc- 
ceeded Prof.  Weihe  as  director.  The 
operas  given  were:  "The  Mascot," 
"Patience,"  "Chimes  of  Normandv," 
"Said  Pasha,"  "The  Queen's  Lace 
Handkerchief,"  "A  Trip  to  Africa," 
"Madelaine,"  "The  Mandarin,"  "Fa- 
tinitza,"  "The  Wedding  Day,"  "The 
Jolly  Musketeers,"  "The  Girl  and  the 
Governor,"  and  last  but  not  least, 
"Robin   Hood." 

It  would  be  a  labor  of  love  to  heber  s.  goddard 

linger  on  the  delightful  renditions  of  ^^"'""^  °^cSmp^any.^'^'  ^^'" 
this  company,  especially  on  the  work 

on  one  of  the  most  brilliant  singers  Utah  ever  produced,  H.  S. 
Goddard,  but  time  will  only  permit  a  passing  reference.  The 
singers  this  company  brought  to  the  front  were  Louise  Savage, 
Lottie  Levy,  Edna  Dwyer,  Sallie  Fisher,  Mabel  Cooper,  Elsie 
Barrow,  Arvilla  Clark,  Luella  Ferrin,  Agatha  Berkhoel,  Emma 
Lucy  Gates  and  Hazel  Taylor  Peery.  Other  singers  who  came 
into  prominence  during  these  performances  were  H.  S.  Ensis^n, 
Hugh  W.  Dougall,  Alex  Campbell,  Fred  C.  Graham,  Mrs. 
Browning,  Mabel  Clark,  Harry  Sherman  (present  city  commis- 
sioner),  George  Westervelt  and  many  others  in  smaller  roles. 

Other  Home  Opera  Companies 

Long  before  the  Salt  Lake  Opera  Company  and  during  the 
life  of  the  Home  Dramatic  Club,  the  Stephens  Opera  Company 
in  "Martha,"  "The  Bohemian  Girl"  and  "The  Child  of  the  Regi- 
ment" and  the  Careless  and  Krouse  productions  of  "Patience," 


WORLD-FAMOUS   STARS  WHO  HAVE   APPEARED   AT  THE   SALT   LAKE 
THEATRE,  IN  THE  LAST  THIRTY-SIX  YEARS 

Upper  row,  reading  from  feft  to  right:  Edwin  Booth,  Lawrence  Barrett,  John 
McCullough  as  Othello.  Second  row:  Mary  Anderson,  Charlotte  Cushman  as  Lady 
Macbeth,  Adelaide  Nielson.  Third  row:  Edwin  Adams,  Joseph  Jefferson  as  Rip  Van 
Winkle,  and  Thos.  W.   Keene. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE  43 

^The  Mikado,"  'The  Pirates  of  Penzance,"  "lolanthe,"  "Fa- 
tinitza"  and  'Triscilla"  set  high  standards  for  the  Salt  Lake  Opera 
Company  to  climb  to.  In  these  productions  the  names  of  George 
D.  Pyper  and  John  D.  Spencer  are  always  among  the  leaders, 
while  H.  S.  Goddard,  Jennie  Hawley,  Mrs.  Silva,  Nettie  Thatcher 
(the  original  Patience),  Louie  Wells,  J.  T.  White,  Louise  Mc- 
Ewan  and  others  had  prominent  parts. 

An  op.era  in  which  Nat  M.  Brigham,  once  United  States 
marshal  for  Utah,  and  B.  B.  Young,  today  a  prominent  Chris- 
tian Science  lecturer,  took  part,  was  ''Mr.  Sampson  of  Omaha," 
composed  by  Mme.  Mazzucata  Young. 

Still  another  pioneer  production  was  "The  Sorcerer," 
brought  out  under  Prof.  Thomas  and  D.  O.  Calder,  March  5, 
1880,  Miss  Libbie  Sheets  (Mrs.  Mathoni  Pratt)  having  the  lead- 
ing lady's  role.  Others  who  participated  were  Annie  Midgley,  W. 
D.  Owen,  Henry  Gardiner,  Duncan  McAllister,  J.R.  Morgan,  Liz- 
zie Edmonds  and  Annie  McKay.  Of  course  the  name  of  John 
D.  Spencer  appears  in  that  cast  as  in  most  of  the  am.ateur  pro- 
ductions of  those  days.  When  I  look  back  on  the  years  that 
have  elapsed  I  marvel  how  he  has  escaped  the  ranks  of  the 
patriarchs. 

If  the  musical  productions  of  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre  are  ever 
chronicled  by  themselves  they  will  not  be  complete  without  a 
mention  of  "The  Messiah,"  the  first  time  it  was  rendered  here, 
in  1875,  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  Careless,  in  the  Salt  Lake 
Theatre.  It  was  the  sensation  of  the  day  and  its  two  performances 
drew  over  $2,000. 

Some  Immortal  Names 

Of  course,  all  must  know  that  the  players  I  have  named  rep- 
resent but  a  small  portion  of  the  long  list  that  have  occupied  the 
boards  of  the  historic  house.  I  might  read  till  midnight  and  then 
not  exhaust  the  roll.  The  names  of  some  of  the  leaders,  how- 
ever, cannot  fail  to  arouse  some  warm  memories  on  the  part  of 
many  of  my  listeners.  The  immortal  Edwin  Booth  played  his 
first  engagement  at  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre  in  1887,  and  Charjp 
B.  Hanford  and  Ned  Royle  were  members  of  his  cast.  Booth 
came  again  in  1889  with  Lawrence  Barrett,  rendering  a  round  of 
Shakespearean  plays  in  a  manner  that  has  never  been  equalled 
here  before  or  since,  especially  "Julius  Caesar."  Barrett's  first 
visit  fell  in  1879,  when  he  was  supported  by  a  remnant  of  the 
old  Deseret  Stock  Company  and  a  few  of  his  own  players.  His 
scholarly  renditions  are  unforgetable  memories. 

Other  visiting  artists  justly  entitled  to  the  name  of  headlin- 
ers,  were  the  Salvinis,  father  and  son,  the  Sotherns,  father  and  son  ; 
the  Lord  Dundreary  of  the  first,  and  the  dozen  creations  of  the 


44 


THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 


second,   are  among  the  famous  presentations  of  the   American 
stage.      J.    H.    Stoddart,    who    made  his    bow    here    in    ''Daniel 

Rochat,"  and  'The  Lights  of  Lon- 
don ;"  Mme.  Ristori,  Tom  Keene,  Rob- 
son  &  Crane,  Mary  Anderson  (one  of 
the  few  great  actresses  who  retired 
when  her  reputation  was  at  its  height, 
and  who  is  still  living  a  retired  life  in 
England)  ;  Mme.  Janauschek,  whose 
Lady  Macbeth  and  whose  double  roles 
in  Bleak  House  were  her  great  parts ; 
Lotta,  the  inimitable,  Jean  Clara  Wal- 
ters, Adelaide  Nielson,  the  peerless 
Juliet  and  Rosalind  of  her  day,  Clara 
Louise  Kellogg  and  Annie  Louise 
Cary,  Joe  Jefferson,  in  "Rip  Van  Win- 
kle" and"  The  Rivals ;"  Neil  Warner, 
Katherine  Rogers,  Amy  Sherwin, 
McKee  Rankin,  William  J.  Florence, 
whose  "Almighty  Dollar,"  and  John 
T.  Raymond,  whose  "Colonel  Sellers" 
were  companion  pictures  in  the  gallery 
of  fame :  Maude  Adams,  in  her 
long  list  of  creations  with  "The  Little 
Minister,"  her  first  starring  venture, 
and  "What  Every  Woman  Knows"  and  "Quality  Street,"  her  last ; 
the  Emma  Abbott  Opera  Company,  who  gave  us  a  long  list  of 
rare  performances  on  their  annual  visits  until  their  tour  was  cut 
short  by  the  death  of  Miss  Abbott,  which  took  place  in  Salt  Lake, 
January  6,  1891 ;  that  rarest  of  baritones,  Tagliapietra,  was  intro- 
duced to  Salt  Lake  by  Miss  Abbott;  George  Rignold,  the  Lin- 
gards,  Alice  Oates,Emilie  Melville,  the  peerless  Fanny  Davenport, 
The  Carleton  Opera  Company,  headed  by  W.  T.  Carleton,  the 
great  baritone  of  the  Hess  company  years  before,  and  who  first 
introduced  us  to  Jessie  Bartlett  Davis ;  Vivian,  founder  of  the 
B.  P.  O.  E. ;  Emma  Juch,  Agnes  Booth,  Denman  Thompson, 
Mrs.  Bowers,  Milton  Nobles,  Frank  Mayo,  the  famous  "Bos- 
tonians,"  with  the  unforgetable  Barnabee  at  their  head;  Sarah 
Bernhardt,  Richard  Mansfield,  whose  death  left  a  gap  that  has 
not  yet  been  filled;  Frank  Daniels,  Sol  Smith  Russell,  Sher- 
idan, Rhea,  the  Kendalls,  Willard,  Grismer  &  Davis,  Mrs.  John 
Drew,  Joseph  Haworth,  Julia  Marlowe  (later  Mrs.  Sothern), 
Clara  Morris,  Bandmann,  Modjeska,  James  O'Neil,  Clay  Clem- 
ent, Maurice  Barrymore,  his  gifted  wife,  Georgia  Drew  Barry- 
more,  and  their  not  less  gifted  daughter,  Ethel  Barrymore,  Olga 
Nethersole,  Mrs.  Langtry,  Francis  Wilson,  James  K.  Hackett, 
Eleanor  Robson,  Viola  Allen,  Annie  Russell,  Louis  James,  Fred- 


EMMA  ABBOTT 

In  "The  Bohemian  Girl. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE  45 

erick  Warcle,  David  Warfield,  Faversham,  Margaret  Anglin, 
Robert  Mantell,  William  Gillette — these  are  some  of  the  other 
luminous  stars  who  have  blazed  across  our  theatrical  horizon.       — 

Our  theatre  has  also  entertained  the  great  dramatic  stock 
companies  of  the  country,  whose  careers  have  filled  so  notable  a 
chapter  in  American  history :  first,  the  Union  Square,  which 
introduced  us  to  Charles  R.  Thorne,  Jr.,  Fanny  Morant  and 
Sara  Jewett ;  Augustin  Daly's  Fifth  Avenue  Company,  which 
brought  us  Ada  Rehan  and  John  Drew;  and  the  Lyceum  Com- 
pany, which  gave  such  favorite  friends  as  Henry  Miller,  W.  J. 
Lemoyne,  E.  M.  Holland,  Nelson  Wheatcroft,  Herbert  Kelcey 
and  Georgia  Cayvan,  in  their  days  as  stock  actors. 

The  visits  of  stars  like  Otis  Skinner,  Mrs.  Fiske,  Dustin 
Farnum,  Maxine  Elliott,  Nat  Goodwin,  Henry  Miller,  Forbes 
Robertson,  Chauncey  Olcott  and  many  others  are  events  of  cur- 
rent history,  too  familiar  to  need  describing,  but  they  have  all  im- 
parted a  lustre  to  the  reputation  of  the  great  old  house,  and  they 
in  turn  have  always  departed  singing  its  praises. 

During  the  later  70s  and  early  '80s  some  of  the  old  Deseret 
Stock  Company,  associated  with  visiting  stars,  gave  a  round  of 
productions.  These  were  the  days  of  J.  W.  Carter,  Carrie  Car- 
ter Coggswell,  Vi'nson,  J.  Al.  Sawt'elle,  Mark  Wilton,  Lizzie 
Piatt  (mother  of  Treasurer  Campbell  Brown  of  the  Salt  Lake 
Theatre),  M.  Forster,  W.  C.  Crosbie,  E.  B.  Marden,  Harry  Tay- 
lor and  others.  Mr.  Marden  married  a  bright  little  actress, 
Susie  Spencer,  who  was  often  seen  in  soubrette  roles,  such  as  the 
leads  in  *'The  Hidden  Hand"  and  "The  Little  Rebel."  She  was 
sister  of  D.  S.  Spencer  of  Salt  Lake,  and  died  many  years  ago. 
Harry  Emery,  who  married  Katie  Putnam,  also  graduated  from 
the  Salt  Lake  stage  about  this  period.  Ned  Royle's  production  of 
"Friends,"  with  the  Home  Dramatic  Club  in  support,  occurred 
August  7,  189L 

Banner  Attractions 

The  question  is  often  asked.  What  attraction  in  the  old 
palmy  days  of  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre,  before  vaudeville  and  mov- 
ing picture  shows  had  depopulated  the  galleries,  played  to  the 
largest  receipts?  The  answer  is.  Madam  Gerster,  in  the  opera 
of  "Lucia,"  March  6,  1884.  The  prices  were  $5.00  down  to 
$L00;  boxes,  $30.00  and  $40.00,  and  the  total  receipts  were  close 
to  $5,000.00.  Mapelson  was  the  manager;  another  great  star 
who  was  not  seen  in  Salt  Lake  until  she  appeared  at  the  Taber- 
nacle some  time  later,  Adelina  Patti,  occupied  a  box.  The  fam- 
ous Arditi  conducted  the  performance  of  "Lucia."  The  company 
headed  by  Edwin  Booth  and  Lawrence  Barrett,  in  May,  1889,  had 
average  receipts  exceeding  $1800  per  night.    Close  to  them  came 


46  THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 

Emma  Abbott,  whose  early  visits  always  used  to  be  good  for 
$1500  to  $1800  houses.  Maude  Adams'  "Little  Minister"  engage- 
ment also  ran  close  to  the  liooth  &  Barrett  figures.  Fanny 
Davenport  and  "The  Bostonians,"  too,  piled  up  some  great  box 
office  records.  The  longest  uninterrupted  flow  of  prosperity 
known,  accompanied  the  two  weeks'  engagement  of  Nance 
O'Neill,  when  she  gave  seventeen  performances,  nearly  every 
night  to  a  crowded  house. 

Even  our  local  talent  established  some  box  office  figures  in 
the  '80s,  which  would  make  the  managerial  mouth  water  today. 
"Rosedale,"  played  by  the  Home  Club,  on  a  sweltering  Twenty- 
fourth  day  of  July,  drew  a  $1200  audience,  and  such  old  time  fa- 
orites  as  "The  Green  Lanes  of  England,"  "Storm  Beaten,"  "The 
World"  and  "Youth"  frequently  passed  the  $1000  mark. 

Oumcrs  of  the  Theatre 

A  word  regarding  the  ownership  and  management  of  the  old 
house  may  be  interesting.  Up  till  the  time  of  Pesident  Young's 
death  in  1877,  the  financial  reports  by  the  managers  were  made  to 
his  office.  The  property  was  then  in  the  name  of  a  company 
called  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre  Corporation.  It  became  involved 
in  litigation  which  followed  his  death,  and  for  a  long  period  the 
keys  of  the  house  were  in  the  hands  of  the  United  States  marshal. 
In  1879,  the  litigation  was  ended,  and  David  McKenzie,  in  his 
memoirs,  published  in  the  Christmas  Neu^s,  says  President  John 
Taylor  (who  succeeded  President  Brigham  Young),  asked  him  to 
call  on  United  States  Marshall  Shaughnessy  and  get  the  keys. 
He  did  so,  and  on  handing  them  to  President  Taylor,  was  notified 
he  was  to  be  an  officer  of  a  new  corporation  called  the  Salt  Lake 
Dramatic  Association,  of  which  John  T.  Caine  was  to  be  presi- 
dent, H.  B.  Clawson,  secretary,  and  David  McKenzie,  treasurer. 
The  management  was  to  be  in  the  hands  of  the  three.  This  cor- 
poration has  lasted  until  the  present  day,  though  the  stockholders 
have  frequently  changed.  Today,  President  Jos.  F.  Smith  is  pres- 
ident, Heber  J.  Grant  is  vice-president,  Heber  M.  Wells  secretary, 
and  Elias  A  Smith  treasurer. 

The  house  has  witnessed  many  changes  of  management  since 
it'  opened,  with  Caine  and  Clawson  in  charge,  in  1862.  In  1872, 
George  Reynolds  was  manager  for  a  brief  period,  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  President's  office.  Succeeding  him,  came  W.  T. 
(Jimmy)  Harris,  the  president's  son-in-law;  Caine,  Clawson  & 
Williams  were  managers  for  a  short  time,  and  John  C.  Graham, 
Phil  Margetts,  and  David  McKenzie  also  occasionally  held  the 
reins.  The  house  was  again  involved  in  the  courts  at  the  time 
the  government  escheated  the  Church  property,  and  soon  after 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATRE 


47 


the  settlement  of  this  Htigation,  Charles  S.  Burton  became  man- 
ager (1888),  holding  the  office  for  ten  years,  till  1898.  George  D. 
Pyper  was  then  appointed,  and  he  has  held  the  position  ever  since 
- — a  term  of  seventeen  years.  He  has  lately  associated  with  him 
John  Cort,  the  eastern  theatrical  magnate,  and  today  the  man- 
agement is  in  the  hands  of  Cort  & 
Pyper. 

The  public  records  show  that  the 
Salt  Lake  Theatre  corner  was  first 
owned  by  Reynolds  Gaboon,  who  sold 
it  to  President  Young,  April  23,  1860. 
July  29,  1873,  President  Young  sold 
the  property  to  H.  B.  Glawson,  John 
T.  Gaine,  Thomas  Williams,  Jos.  A. 
Young,  LeGrand  Young  and  John  W. 
Young,  for  $100,000,  each  an  undi- 
vided sixth.  The  same  year,  these 
parties  deeded  the  property  to  the  Salt 
Lake  Theatre  Corporation.  In  1875, 
that  corporation,  by  H.  B.  Glawson, 
president,  deeded  the  property  back  to 
President  Young  for  $116,000;  so  it  is 
fair  to  presume  that  the  cost  of  the 
improvements  was  about  $16,000.  Af- 
ter President  Young's  death,  in  1878, 
his  executors,  George  Q.  Cannon  and 
Brigham  Young,  Jr.,  conveyed  the 
property  to  John  Taylor,  trustee-in- 
trust, the  consideration  named  being 
$125,000.  President  Taylor  sold  the 
property  to  John  Sharp  for  $62,000  the  same  year.  In  1879, 
John  Sharp  conveyed  it  to  the  Salt  Lake  Dramatic  Association, 
the  present  corporation,  for  $74,500. 

The  house  was  but  little  changed  from  its  opening  in  1862 
till  1873-4,  when  the  sale  to  H.  B.  Glawson  and  others,  referred 
to  above,  was  made,  and  some  extensive  improvements  were  car- 
ried on.  The  present  stage  boxes  were  installed,  chairs  replaced 
the  old  benches,  the  stage  was  rebuilt,  and  the  present  slant  to- 
wards the  auditorium  imparted  to  it.  These  changes  were  made 
following  designs  obtained  in  New  York  by  Spencer  Glawson 
for  his  father.  He  secured  them  from  A.  T.  Stewart's  architect, 
and  they  were  fashioned  after  the  interior  of  Niblo's  gardens. 

The  question  often  has  been  asked  where  so  large  a  sum  of 
money  came  from  in  those  early  days  as  that  required  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  building  so  ambitious  as  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre. 
It  will  doubtless  interest  "Uncle  Sam"  to  know  that  it  was 
through  his  army,  that  the  first  sum  was  realized.     When  John- 


GEORGE  D.  PYPER 

Present  manager  of  the  Salt  Lake 

Theatre,  as  he  looked  in  his 

early  operatic  days. 


4S  THE  DRAMA  IN  UTAH 

ston's  army,  which  Invaded  Utah,  went  into  permanent  quarters 
at  Camp  Floyd,  President  Young  entrusted  H.  B.  Clawson  with 
$4000  to  invest  in  army  supplies  at  a  government  "bargain"  sale, 
which  was  conducted  at  Camp  Floyd  when  the  army  was  ordered 
back  to  take  part  in  the  Civil  War.  The  bargains  there  ob- 
tained were  the  beginning  of  the  fortunes  of  many  Utah  men. 
such  as  Walker  Brothers.  The  supplies  bought  with  the  $4000 
by  Mr.  Clawson  were  finally  retailed  for  $40,000,  which  sum  be- 
came the  nucleus  of  the  building  of  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre. 

As  to  the  Future 

And  what  of  the  future  of  the  grand  old  playhouse?  Nearly 
every  Salt  Laker,  especially  those  of  the  older  generation,  must 
confess  to  a  pang  whenever  he  hears  it  said  that,  before  long,  in 
the  march  of  progress  and  under  the  demands  of  business,  it  will 
have  to  come  down,  and  make  way  for  a  more  modern  struc- 
ture. That  fate  might  have  befallen  it  before  this  had  it  not 
happened  that  the  ownership  fortunately  reverted  to  the  Church, 
one  of  the  few  institutions  that  can  afiford  to  place  sentiment 
before  business.  We  can  only  hope,  with  the  many  eminent 
stars  who  have  expressed  their  affection  for  the  house,  that  the 
day  of  its  demolition  may  long  be  deferred.  The  most  beautiful 
tribute  I  have  ever  heard  paid  to  our  theatre  and  to  the  spirit  of 
the  pioneers  who  founded  it,  was  that  uttered  by  Forbes-Rob- 
ertson last  winter,  on  the  night  of  his  memorable  farewell,  when 
he  pleaded  with  Salt  Lakers  to  cherish  and  preserve  such  a  rare 
treasure  house  of  memories — almost  the  last  theatre  of  its  kind 
in  America.  Henry  Miller,  Daniel  Frohman,  Stoddart,  Louis 
James,  Sothern,  Warde,  Gillette,  Maude  Adams  and  many  oth- 
ers have  voiced  the  same  sentiments.  Many  of  them  say  they 
best  love  to  visit  the  old  place  in  the  day  time,  when  its  activities 
are  at  rest,  and  sinking  into  one  of  its  chairs,  commune  in  silence 
with  the  memories  the  hush  seems  to  invoke.  "The  walls  have 
ears,"  goes  the  old  saying;  if  these  had  tongues  what  a  wealth 
of  reminiscence,  of  history,  what  stories  of  triumphs,  ambitions, 
of  laughter  and  heart  breaks,  might  not  here  be  let  loose !  Every 
thoughtful  visitor  to  the  place  confesses  to  feeling  an  influence,  an 
undefinable  impression  unlike  that  imparted  by  any  other  build- 
ing of  its  kind.  Who  shall  say?  Perhaps  something  of  the  spirit 
of  good,  invoked  upon  the  edifice  in  the  prayers  of  the  old  pio- 
neers may  still  linger  within  its  walls  to  hallow  them,  and  keep 
alive  the  aims  and  hopes  of  its  founders. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DTTT.  ^^^^^^^ 

STA.K^^^E^I.AST  BATE 

^'^i.iei"4Vj^E  OF  25  CENTS 

THIS  BOOK  oltl      ^^^  P-AILURE  _    -^"^  "^S 

^AY    AND    TO    eT°^^°  ^^NTs  ON  TH.  J^^'^'-^ 
OVERDUE.  ^'-^^    ON    THE    S^EnTH^'dIy 


JoifFlgif 


78 


i^LijU'r^ 


Ll)2l- 


100m.7,'40  (69368) 


Photomount 

Pamphlet 

Binder 

Gaylord  Bros.,  Inc. 

Makers 
Stockton,  Calif. 

PAT.  JAN.  21.  1908 


rc 


9S062i^ 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  UBRARY 


